B'Lezblue
by UnoriginalPrankster
Summary: An unanticipated break from the academy gives the girls a chance to take some weight off their shoulders. Some need to more than others. And where will this lead for a certain student and her best friend?
1. Noel's House Party

All characters belong to ASW. Tsubaki is loosely based on her 'first draft' version; it's increasingly common knowledge that Noel was her love interest originally, and knowing that I think it's a pity they changed their mind. Tsubaki deserves better than Jin, the new 'Master Of Romance', but as it's the closest we're getting to an Official Couple, I have to make do.

Do I think Noel's a lesbian? Not really, but I refuse to ship her with either Ragna or Jin (because...you know...incest. Yuck), and there's a distinct lack of male alternatives who have anything to do with her, and the nearest, Carl, is too young. I've already done one with her and Makoto, so it's only fair that Tsu get her turn at the table.

Don't worry; despite the chapter title, Noel Edmonds definitely isn't appearing in this story! :)

* * *

 _The Vermilion Residence, Switzerland, June 2197_

 **BGM: Flos**

Due to some rather imaginative and original pranks by the student body, allegedly involving the ventilation system, some laxatives and a really hot, really suspect chicken vindaloo, the NOL Academy had to be closed for a month for decontamination purposes, so all the student body was sent home for the duration. For an establishment that only ever closed very briefly around Christmastime, this unexpected summer break had left its students at a complete loss as to how to occupy their time. In the midst of this upheaval, Noel rushed around the Vermillion family residence, putting some finishing touches to the place before everyone arrived, and rushing to get the broom when she inevitably knocked stuff over because she was a massive klutz. She was thankful it was going to be such a nice day; the Vermillion household hall was quite brightly decorated, with the walls of this hallway a bright shade of yellow, something at odds with the age of the couple who called it home who one would imagine would be of more sober taste. Her parents were going away for a couple of weeks; some family business they needed to tend to was all they would tell her. Noel had asked if she could invite her school friends over for company while they were away. And as an only child, albiet she already knew she was an adopted one, her parents did tend to give her a lot of leeway.

It was early afternoon when the first taxi pulled up outside the mansion door. The family may have fallen on hard times recently, but they still had the resources to afford the upkeep on a big fancy house and the attendant staff. Makoto and Mai were the first to arrive; Mai was living in Shinatsu for the time being while she decided on a more permanent home, and as Makoto was born and bred there it made sense for them to get the same flight. Mai had rather kindly paid for Makoto's ticket, knowing that the latter couldn't really afford it. Makoto hefted both their suitcases out of the taxi's boot easily, one of the advantages of being a beastkin with the attendant strength. Makoto wore a figure hugging black T-shirt with pale brown shorts while Mai wore a dark green vest top with black knee length skirt. Noel herself was wearing a flowing dress of pale blue or possibly lilac hue, with dark blue and red flower and petal motifs.

"Hey Noel!" Mai gave Noel a hug, while Makoto found a spot to drop the suitcases and followed suit with a much squeezier one."Ooh! I've missed you so much already Noellers!"

"Okay, okay! Not so tight please!" Noel was struggling to breathe.

Once the greetings were over with, Noel showed them both to the rooms they'd be residing in; Mai would be sharing with Kajun, while Makoto and Tsubaki would be sharing too; same arrangement as in school, only no Noel, who'd keep to her own room for the most part. Sure, if they fancied a slumber party there was nothing to stop them all piling into one room. It made Mai a little more comfortable, but also a little sad, knowing that her 'stalker-that-turned-out-to-be-not-so-bad' Shiori wasn't able to join them.

Once Makoto had deposited the cases, she flagged down Noel, "We found out when we got out of baggage; Tsubaki's flight was delayed by a couple of hours. Some kinda power outage has frazzled traffic control _and_ all the comms." She had the furthest to travel so that made it even worse.

"Oh dear. How did you find out?"

"Must have been a bulletin released through the NOL branch." Mai concluded; it was certainly the quickest and easiest way of getting the news out; they had their own reserve generators if the city's main power grid ever went kablooey as well as their own comm equipment.

Makoto saw Noel's crestfallen expression, "Hey, chin up Noellers. It's not like she's cancelled completely on us. Let's get some drinks." She pulled out a bottle of Gin, "It's a nice day, it's screaming out for a G&T and some finger food."

"So does that mean.."

Makoto about faced, "NO! Mai Natsume, would you please quote for me Fundamental Rule of the Universe #1."

Mai mock saluted, "Noel Vermilion is not allow to cook anything. Ever." She liked Noel's cooking, though she also knew she was the only one who did...well, apart from Hazama, but they didn't know that yet. Makoto got out a couple of large bowls and started filling them with whatever she could scavenge from the fridge and cupboards, leaving Mai and Noel to head outside and set up some chairs.

* * *

 **BGM: Lakeside**

An hour later, Kajun arrived in a blue T-shirt and purple shorts. No one was entirely sure where exactly she came from; she was always awfully coy about that. The three girls were sat on the rear patio, admiring the vista of sloping greenery that gave way to thick forests and from there to white capped mountains in the distance, having a good chit-chat and soaking up the sun while it lasted. The weather here could be terribly fickle. Makoto tanned quite easily, and had made sure to pack a bikini so she could soak up the sun while she was enjoying the unexpected free time. Mai less so, and Noel got burnt under a bright lamp. Even Tsubaki tanned easier; the joke was that those two were between themselves singlehandedly responsible for maintaining a demand for Factor 50 suncream.

"Ah, this is the life." Makoto sighed, luxuriating in the beaming sunshine. "I really wish we could do this more often. Having so little in the way of vacation time is a real drag. Sometimes I really hate the Academy."

"Yeah, I do feel we're massively overworked a lot of the time." Mai added, her head stuck in a book.

"Afternoon ladies!" Kajun hollered as she made her way over. The staff had already moved her cases to Mai's room, so she had no reason not to find a seat and plonk herself down. "So, how are we all?"

"Spiffing, my dear Kajun. Positively spiffing." Makoto spoke in a mock posh accent. "Here, have a Pimm's, my good fellow. Mixed it myself." Makoto handed her a glass of the vibrant liquid. She took a tentative sip, "Hmmm, very refreshing." She finally selected a seat between Mai and Makoto and pulled out her Tablet; most computers these days had holographic screens and suchlike, allowing for much smaller devices while still doing all the stuff expected of much larger machines of old.

"Anyone fancy watching a movie?"

"Good call!" Noel cheered, "What've you got?"

Kajun scrolled through the list, "Let's see..."

"And before anyone suggests it, no, we are not watching Pitch Perfect again. I had more than I could tolerate the first time I was made to sit through it. I almost ran out of sick bags." Makoto quipped.

"...Aw. Then how about...Frozen?"

"Not again." Noel moaned, "We've watched it like 20 times already. It's getting kind of samey now."

"Twilight?"

"Breaking Wind!? No chance!" Mai was _not_ putting up with that again.

Kajun held her head in her hands. _I'm sorry I ever opened my mouth._

Makoto's ears pricked up, "Hey, have you got "The Brain That Wouldn't Die"?"

"What?...Oh no, I can already see where this is going." Kajun waved her hands in front of her in an attempt to stop that train of thought.

"Come on! Everyone loves Jan In The Pan!" Kajun's' face suggested she didn't.

Noel frowned, "Okay...hmmm...Do you have Street Fighter?"

Kajun turned sharply, "OF COURSE!"

"YES! YES!" Mai was pumping her fists in the air.

Makoto's grinned, "And we all know what today is?"

"Tuesday!" They all shouted in unison.

* * *

It was late afternoon when the taxi carrying Tsubaki finally arrived. With no word on how much she was delayed, or even if the flight had to be cancelled, they were starting to get a bit worried.

Tsubaki was wearing a royal blue sleeveless dress with white trim along the hem of the skirt which ended just above her knees. She also sported a small necklace with the Yayoi family crest on the end.

"Oh Tsubaki! You look wonderful." Noel gushed.

Tsubaki went a little red in the face, "Heheh , thanks Noel. That's really sweet of you to say so. You look very nice yourself." She sighed, "But right now, honestly, I feel a bit rotten. That flight was not something I want to experience again any time soon."

"Oh...errmm...so, are you hungry?" Noel asked.

"Absolutely starving." Came the reply, "Haven't eaten since I left home." Makoto stepped forward with a plate of potato chips, "Here. Dig in." Tsubaki delicately took a few.

"Oh, come on! You're in vacation with your friends! Wolf 'em down!" Makoto grabbed a fistful and jammed them in her open gob. Tsubaki just shook her head before popping a few in her mouth.

Once she had finished swallowing, she asked, "Excuse me Noel, but where can I put my cases?"

"You're rooming with me, so I'll take 'em. Courtsey of Nanaya Bespoke Porter Services." Makoto hefted the two cases over her shoulders and strolled inside, the rest of the gang following, relieved that the last one of their circle of friends had finally arrived, tired but safe.

* * *

 **BGM: Comedy**

Having taken some time to grab a shower and a brief nap, having been up early to catch a flight that left late, Tsuabki was making her way though the culinary quartets when she heard Noel's voice.

"Oh, where is it?"

She sounded a bit distressed, so Tsubaki thought it wise to investigate.

"What have you lost Noel?"

Noel gesticulated with her hands, "Oh, I dropped one of the stupid short skewers I was going to use for the snacks later." She stuck her head back under the cupboard.

"Skewers? You mean cocktail sticks?" It was important to know the proper name of everything you might find in the kitchen to avoid confusion, particularly when such accoutrements were mainstays at dinner parties for the well-to-do. Sadly, Noel didn't seem to appreciate that lesson.

"Here, let me look."

A thump as Noel hit her head on the underside, "Oww! No! It's fine, I can find it myself."

Tsubaki stormed towards her, "Noel! Stop been so stubborn and-"

Noel chose that moment to remove her head and look up, and in doing so managed to get her head hooked in the hem of Tsubaki's dress, and get a view that many red blooded guys would kill for. They held this tableaux for about a second before Tsubaki realised just what Noel was likely looking at.

"Eep!" Tsubaki backed away, hands pushing down on her dress reflexively, "Noel!"

"Aah! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" Noel was waving her hands in front of her, as if trying to stave off some retribution. Tsubaki looked absolutely aghast, words failing her. Flustered, she just huffed and stormed off.

"What'd we miss?" Mai stuck her head around the door frame, Tsubaki having stomped past the rest of the gang, to see Noel's face stuck in 'completely mortified' mode. And a small trickle of blood coming out of her nose.

"Ah, wardrobe malfunction." Makoto guessed from Noel's reaction. Little else would set Tsu off like that, given her very conservative attitude. And it was a historical fact that Noel did have that sort of reaction to it a couple of times in the past.

But there was something in Tsu's body language that seemed a little off to Makoto. Her usual reaction was Righteous Indignation and a stern lecture on how utterly uncouth it was. Her reaction just then told a different story. Deep embarrassment, like the sort when someone you had a crush on got to see a little too much. But Tsu was straight, wasn't she?

 _Eh? This doesn't make a lot of sense._

* * *

 **BGM: Mistletoe**

Everyone had got a good dose of sun. Tsubaki and Makoto were in the kitchen mixing up some cocktails. Tsubaki thankfully had gotten over the embarrassment of before. As everyone had drunk a little, Makoto felt she might be able to get to the bottom of Tsubaki's romantic interests, considering it didn't take much to loosen her tongue. She was so hush-hush about who she liked, it was like some kind of mystery that just begged to be solved; even trying to get her drunk had wielded no results thus far. From what she had observed, she and Jin Kisaragi, the head of the student council, spent a lot of time together, and she was perhaps the only person in the whole school he treated with any respect. She was aware they went back many years. The whole scenario screamed 'Childhood Sweethearts'. On the other hand, the incident earlier had clearly distracted, even perhaps upset, Tsubaki more than Makoto's believed it should've.

Makoto poured a shot of alcohol into each glass, "So, you and Jin. Any progress?"

Tsubaki put the mixer bottle down with a bit more force than she intended, "Makoto, how many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing going on between me and Jin Kisaragi. We're just friends." she snapped. She ended up knocking the bottle over, spilling the liquid in the worktop. Tsubaki scrambled to find the kitchen roll to absorb the mess; while she tried to pretend she, as a proper lady, was the epitome of grace and poise, when it all boiled down to it, she was just as clumsy as Noel, "Now look what you've made me do!"

Makoto huffed and rolled her eyes, "Jeez, sorry! So, is there _anyone_ you like?"

Tsubaki sighed, "Well, yes. There is, if it'll get you to stop jumping to completely inaccurate conclusions." She was still flustered from before.

 _At last! We're getting somewhere now._ "Ooh, who is it?" Makoto's ears pricked at the possibility of juicy revelations.

"Well, they attend the academy. They are in our year."

"Do they know you like them?"

Tsubaki's head dropped, "I dunno. I guess I can never find the right way to tell them. I've been attracted to them for a while now, but I'm scared."

"What of?"

"Well, I've never actually... how do you put it? 'Asked anyone out' before. I don't know what to say, give them an indication that I'm interested. I'm just apprehensive about trying and making a complete mess of it, offending them or scaring them off and ruining any further chances with them...I guess I just don't want to hurt her feelings."

Makoto looked downward, "Yeah...wait a minute." Her face twisted into a smile, one that screamed 'Future Blackmail Opportunity'. "You just said _her_ feelings."

"What? No, I said 'their'."

"Tsubaki, these ears never lie. I know what you said." Makoto twitched her ears, while Tsubaki just looked dismayed, "Hey, it's no big deal, I just never has you down as being into other girls is all. So, who is it?'

"(Sigh) Well, she has blonde hair, she-"

 _Lightbulb!_

"It's Noel, isn't it?" Tsubaki went bright red, as red as her hair, "See Tsubaki? I can read you like a book. So _that's_ why you were so flustered before. Aw, I think it's really sweet that you like her that way. Go get her. I would."

"I just...I dunno if she feels anything like that for me."

"Oh, come on! What's the worst that can happen?"

"How long a list would you like? She may be scared off and not want to speak to me again. She could think I've only been her friend all this time to try and charm my way into her pants. She-"

"Okay okay, I get the point. But look at it this way; you've been invited to hers for a vacation, we already knows she loves your company, now is as good an opportunity as you're ever going to get. You know that Noel isn't the sort to hold it against you. She's the sweetest, most loving person we know. Besides, nobody in school has ever asked her out. She's probably just as clueless about the finer points of seduction as you are. Anyways, she'd like the companionship, as would you. Trust me, I know loneliness when I see it. And at any rate, I think she owes you for the free show you gave her earlier." Makoto smirked. Tsubaki shot an accusatory glance, "Oh come on Tsu, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out why you stormed out on her earlier."

"Makoto, _please_. You're just making me feel worse about this. This doesn't feel like the right time."

"So when will be the right time, hmm? Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? Never? You and I both know that, no matter how much you build yourself up for it, you just can't do it. You're too reserved. I would almost say emotionally repressed." Makoto glared, "If you don't tell her on your own, I'm doing it for you. You have till the end of the day."

Tsubaki was really beginning to regret telling Makoto about her romantic woes.

"Here Tsubaki, take a swig of this. A bit of alcohol helps." Makoto handed her a hip flask, "Back in the day, they called it 'Dutch Courage'." Whatever it was, it burned her mouth, nearly causing her to gag on it. "You know your biggest problem? You over think things. You worry too much. Stop fretting and just go with the flow. You'll know, _feel_ , the right moment to tell her." Tsubaki steeled herself, "Go get her girl. I believe in you. In _both_ of you."

* * *

It was early evening, and Makoto and Noel were prepping some more snacks. They sure were getting through a lot of food today. In spite of her own lethality when doing the cooking personally, Noel actually had pretty good taste when she just gave advice. Makoto noticed Tsubaki in the next room and gestured her over.

"Listen, I need to pop out for a moment. I can leave you two to finish up, can't I?" She gave Tsubaki a wink before dashing off. "Go for it." She mouthed.

Tsubaki swallowed hard, "Hey Noel."

Noel turned and smiled, "Oh, hi Tsubaki. Listen, again I'm really sorry for before. I just-"

"Oh, that? It was an accident, no need to apologise Noel. Just have a bit more care about who's where in future, okay?" She may have let it slide, but it didn't stop her face going red again.

"Yes ma'am!" She mock saluted, "Do you need anything?"

"What? Oh no. Just wanted to talk."

"What about?"

"Well, I don't know how to tell you this." She shifted uneasily, "Noel, you've become a very close friend of mine over these past couple of years. The truth is...I've been having these, I dunno, thoughts, gah, feelings about you. I'd like us to be more. I guess what I'm trying to say is..." _here goes nothing_ , "..Noel, I think I'm in love with you."

"You're...in love with me?" Tsubaki, shame faced, nodded.

"If I may, I'd like to...to kiss you, Noel." Tsubaki blushed. She moved slowly towards her. Noel looked like a deer in the headlights, too dumbstruck to respond. Tsubaki wrapped her arms around Noel's waist, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. That broke Noel out of her stupor.

"Tsuba...baki?" She stuttered

"May I kiss your lips?" Noel nodded, wrapping her own arms around Tsubaki's shoulders as their lips gently met. It lasted a brief moment before they broke away. They stared, confused for a couple of seconds before Tsubaki devoured Noel's mouth, their eyes closing as they deepened the kiss, and the two began making out in the middle of the kitchen. For those brief moments, Tsubaki thought she was in Heaven.

 _Oh God. I must be dreaming. I have to be dreaming. I'm definitely dreaming...I'm not dreaming. I'm actually kissing Noel. And she's kissing me back._

Her kiss tasted like Strawberries. Sweet, Succulent Strawberries. Tsubaki loved Strawberries, especially chocolate covered strawberries. She devoured her kiss, almost knocking the poor girl over in her eagerness. Her hand began rummaging behind Noel's back and found their way down to her shapely ass, grabbing a handful of that peachy posterior, and Noel was returning the favour. After all the times Noel had inadvertently let Tsubaki see up her skirt (which inevitably lead to poor Tsubaki promptly having a little nosebleed of her own and desiring to find a quiet corner for some 'me' time'), she finally had her hands on the prize.

"Mmmmmmmm..." she moaned

"Mmmmmm..." Noel was evidently in heaven too.

"Mmmmmm!" Tsubaki moaned with a bit more enthusiasm

"MMMMMMMM!" Noel was really getting into this.

They finally broke off their kiss. Tsubaki just stopped there motionless, speechless, breathless, her heart racing. She felt really light-headed all of a sudden. The room began to spin, then everything went black.

"Tsubaki!"

* * *

Noel stood and watched Tsubaki, who looked to be in a complete daze. Her eyes began to roll into the back of her head. And with a happy sigh, Tsubaki fainted.

"Tsubaki!" Noel managed to catch her before she hit the floor. The sound of her scream brought the others running. Makoto took Tsubaki's weight while Mai and Kajun tried to stop Noel freaking out. They needn't have worried; Noel was being surprisingly cool under pressure, "I'll go get help! Makoto, set her down over there!" She gestured to the sofa in the adjoining room. The Beastkin easily lifted Tsubaki over her shoulder while Noel sprinted out of the room to get the family doctor.

* * *

 **BGM: Stardust Memory**

Tsubaki had been given the once over by the Vermilion family's doctor; her blood pressure was a bit low, but Tsubaki had just come off her period, so other than that ultimately there was nothing wrong with her. After talking with Tsu herself it was decided that she was okay to carry on as normal. A bit of rest and she should be fine, but an early night was recommended.

Noel sat at her bedside, watching over her as she slept. Noel did have to admit, Tsubaki looked really cute like this. She gave her cheek an affectionate stroke.

"How is she?" Makoto asked.

"She was up and about briefly an hour ago. I guess I'm just happy to let her rest." Noel watched gooey eyed, trying to imagine herself and Tsubaki snuggled up together.

Mai perked up, "Hey, you know what happens in fairy tales, right? A sleeping Maiden can be awoken by her true love's kiss!"

Kajun caught on to the potential for sappy romantic moments, "Oh, just like Sleeping Beauty!"

Alarmed, Noel shook her head, "What!? You guys, I really don't think-"

"True Love's Kiss! True Love's Kiss! True Love's Kiss!" They chanted in unison.

The more they chanted, the less Noel felt able to resist. She gave into the inevitable and landed an absolute smacker on Tsubaki's lips. Tsubaki quickly responded in kind, to muted cheers from the peanut gallery.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Noel whispered as Tsubaki opened her eyes.

"Hey, Princess Charming." Noel blushed as she helped Tsubaki to her feet.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hungry again. Does that count?"

Noel gave her a kiss, "Appetiser." She clarified.

 _Click_.

Noel and Tsubaki turned to see Makoto, Mai and Kajun all with their phones out, and all taking pictures of them.

"Okay...just find the file...and upload."

Noel's jaw hit the floor, "Makoto! Don't tell me you just put that on the internet!?"

Makoto burst out laughing, "What? Of course not! Even I'm not enough of a troll to do that. I have just saved it as my new desktop though."

Tsubaki looked confused, "What? Why?"

"Because it's a moment I want to treasure; the moment my two best friends found out the love of their life was staring them in the face all along." She placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Love of our life? Makoto, don't you think it's a bit early to be making that assumption." Tsubaki quizzed.

"No. Call it gut instinct, but I think this'll last." Makoto gestured for the gang to leave them be for a while.

"Tsubaki, I want to know. When did you begin to feel this way about me?"

"Well..hehe...it was...it was the moment I first layed eyes on you were being bullied by those harlots. I was spellbound... mesmerised even. I suppose you could call it 'Love At First Sight'. This really pretty blonde girl before me." Uh-oh. She was entering Romance Novel territory again.

"I never saw myself as anything special. I mean, I'm not very good at school. I'm not a great athlete. I'm nobody. You think I'm really pretty?"

"It's what I just said, isn't it? Yes I do. And it's only gotten better since we first met. Back then you had such sad eyes. I saw you, and I just...I just had to get to know you. To make you happy. There's... something I can't quite put my finger on, but your smile seems so much brighter now. And I'm so glad I did."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"Coz the beauty here.." she stroked Noel's face, "...is nothing compared to the beauty in here." She gently layed a hand over Noel's heart, "You've always stood by me. Even when I've let my frustrations get the better of me." Tsubaki chuckled, "Which is often. I'm sorry."

"Hey, we'll have no apologising from you! Well, I have you to thank for that." Tsubaki looked confused at Noel's response, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be the person I am now. I'd still be...the cowering , lonely, deeply unhappy girl who just wanted to disappear and never be noticed by anyone. But because of you, I was made to feel like I was worth something. To someone...I don't know if or how I could ever repay you for that."

"But you've already repayed me. I was so lonely too before I met you and Makoto, and later Mai and Kajun. All I ever wanted was someone to call a friend. You've been so much more to me. You all have. I guess we can call ourselves even."

Noel blushed, "Tsubaki, I don't know what Makoto would say to this, most likely get the wrong idea, but...would you like to bunk with me tonight?"

Tsubaki spluttered, clearly not sure how to articulate her question; _is this just to snuggle up or are you asking to have sex with me? It's not just Makoto who's getting the wrong idea here!_

"It's just I'd like to know the feeling of waking up in the morning in the arms of someone I love, or they in mine."

Tsubaki, now understanding Noel's intentions, recomposed herself, and nodded, before breaking out into a grin.

"That sounds... delightful."

"So I'm bunking alone, eh?" The other three peeped from behind the door, like something out of a slapstick film; Makoto at the bottom, Mai the middle, Kajun on top, until the point were Physics finally caught on and they all fell over in a heap. All three quickly git to their feet and dusted themselves off.

"I guess I never thought of that..."

"No biggie. I can room with these two." Kajun and Mai nodded. Makoto handed some glasses to Noel and Tsubaki before taking one from Kajun, "So, a toast, and three cheers for the new couple!"

"HIP HIP HURRAY! HIP HIP HURRAY! HIP HIP HURRAY!"

* * *

 **BGM: Pinky Promise**

Noel, already in her night clothes of a white T-shirt and green shorts, was sat on her bed, finishing brushing her hair when Tsubaki entered the room in similar attire, only in pale blue, "Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked.

"Oh, stop being such a worrywart. I told you before I wanted you here with me." Noel shuffled over to let Tsubaki get into bed. Noel, on the right side of the bed, lay on her back while Tsubaki snuggled up to her on her side, taking the left. She smiled and started lovingly stroking Noel's hair, which earned a sigh of pleasure from her new girlfriend.

Noel turned and gazed into Tsubaki's eyes. There was something about those deep blue orbs that Noel just found so soothing, like the quiet sea at night,, almost lulling her to sleep right there and then.

"Hey, could you sing for me?" Noel said sleepily.

Tsu giggled, "What? Would you like a lullaby? Don't you think you're a little old for those?"

"No, I just want to hear your voice." She tried to stifle a yawn. Tsubaki laughed again, and obliged.

"They say we're young and we don't know.

We won't find out until we grow.

Well I don't know if all that's true  
'Cause you got me, and baby I got you

Babe  
I got you babe  
I got you babe."

She was rewarded with the sight of Noel's eyes closing and watching her gently drift off to sleep.

Tsubaki settled down, draped her arm over the slumbering girl's stomach and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Good night, Noel. Sweet dreams." Today had been a _good_ day.

* * *

Makoto was walking past Noel's room, having just been to the toilet. She decided she'd sneak a peek at the new lovebirds. She was treated to the sight of Noel being little spoon to Tsu's big. Both were sound asleep, and Tsu, true to form, was snoring. Not loud, but still audible. Makoto stifled a snicker.

 _...I could, but she's in denial about the fact. She'd never believe me anyway._

Makoto rolled her eyes and carried on down the corridor and back to the warmth of her own bed. Mai and Kajun had to change plans and were now sharing a bed, which they had done in the past and were completely fine with. Makoto spared one last glance at the full moon before turning over and laying still, enjoying the silence.


	2. Wake Up, Murakumo!

**BGM: Memory Of Tears, or maybe even Don't Look Back.**

 _Kagatsuchi, NOL Branch roof, January 7th 2200,_

"Noel...please...no."

"Target identified as Zero Weave: Izayoi. Interim threat Level S. True capabilities unknown. Further data required to determine appropriate course of action."

Tsubaki was the first to reach the summit of the NOL branch. She had heard that Noel was in trouble and made her way here immediately. But she never would have expected...this.

 _"Kusanagi, we have an intruder right here. Give her a beating for me and give me the combat data later on so we can make some adjustments in preparation for Amaterasu. I have shit to take care of downstairs, so come join me when you've finished her off. Have fun you two.. Yeehahahahahahaha!"_

 _"Acknowledged."_

She had almost lost the will to fight when she saw what had become of Noel. The girl she loved, nothing more than a soulless doll, with a stated wish to destroy everything. A hatred of everything.

 _All we've been through together Noel...Does that mean nothing to you anymore?_

Tsu called up what little strength she had left to give, tightened her grip on the Izayoi, and readied herself for the coming onslaught.

 _Please don't make me do this Noel._

"Slaver Trans-Am."

Tsu launched a Volley of beams and projectile blades at Noel, shattering against the latter's defensive barrier. It was going to take a lot more than that to do anything meaningful. Either she had to commit herself fully to this, or she may as well go home and forever say goodbye to her girlfriend. Tsu sprinted in a half crouch, her blade ready, and slashed horizontally. Noel's blades met the slash, easily repelling the attack. She conjured up two turrets, alternating their fire to force her for back. She vanished in a flash.

Any attempt Noel may have made to analyse the situation was halted with a heavy slash to the back. The turrets gave some covering fire as she wheeled away to give herself some space, combined her blades, and brought the glowing golden sword down on Tsu, rooted to the spot by the incessant beams. An easy target...

"Never again!" The attack connected against something and everything was lost in a cloud of smoke and dust. The smoke finally cleared to reveal the legendary Hero of the Dark War, Tsubaki's idol, Hakumen. Tsubaki was trying to shield herself behind him, having not yet registered his presence

"Never again." He repeated.

"Target identified as Sankishin Unit Susanō'o. Threat Level elevated to SS. Commence termination protocols."

The Murakumo's Steins lasers continued to bombard them, Tsubaki doing her level best to deflect with her lance or dodge. Oh, the advantages of having your own jetpack; it made mobility so much easier. Tsu warped in and slashed at Noel; she refused to even give countenance to the notion that she was called Mu. The two support guns at Tsubaki's hips, while outnumbered by Noel's own turrets, were still proving invaluable in giving cover fire and even landing a few cheap shots. One blew apart one of Noel's turrets, while second's shot collided with her Barrier, doing no damage. Tsu had to quickly reposition herself to avoid a counter-attack. A quick hop back bought her enough room to fire a volley of Sonic Sabers, using them as cover to get in close and unleash a quick combo on Noel. Noel's blades whirled around to meet the attack and successfully blocked it. Tsubaki saw a quick opening and kicked Noel in the belly before she could react.

The towering form of Hakumen surveyed the scene, impassive as ever. "So, lost soul, you would destroy this world in the name of a false god? Hmmph. This I cannot allow. Though I take no joy in this, you shall be terminated for the good of the future. Prepare yourself!" Hakumen hefyed his sword and advanced, taking care as she was made of one of the few things that could actually hurt him. Mu took notice of this and opened fire with 4 turrets. The Legendary Hero batted several shots away before conjuring the familiar glyph in front of him.

"Sir Hakumen, please! Don't!" Tsubaki screamed. She knew what was coming next.

"I apologise Tsubaki, but this thing is not the girl you know as Noel Vermillion. It is the Kusanagi, the God Slaying Sword. It must be stopped now! Kokūjin: Yukikaze!" The Murakumo, apparently not that familiar with Hakumen's fighting style despite knowing of him by reputation, continued to fire. One beam connected with Hakumen's barrier, and in an instant Hakumen was twenty feet the other side of Noel, with Noel bleeding profusely from the hip. It was fortunate that she tried to dodge, else she'd have been cut clean in half at the waist.

Despite being smelted, Tsu had arrived before it was really ready, and not wanting to take any chances, Hazama had let the unit out early to deal with her while he had preparations to take care of elsewhere, so the Murakumo was not operating at anything like it's full power. Still, thank goodness Hakumen showed up when he did! "Damage 35%. Initiating repair protocol. Initiating... initiating... initiating...repair protocol compromised. Interference detected from Nox Nyctores Interfectum Malus: Ōkami. Time to full system reboot: 1 minute."

"Very good. You cannot repair yourself for 60 seconds, more than enough time to dispose of you. Kokūjin: Shippu!" The tidal wave of energy barrelled towards the Murakumo. Mu dodged sideways, avoiding it just in time...

"Justice Phorizer!"

...only to move into Tsubaki's firing line, and receive an energy sword in the torso. Tsu, gasping, powered down to her normal form; she still wasn't used to the true power of Izayoi yet and could only maintain it for so long before having to relinquish the form. It was a miracle Hakumen had the time and knowledge to give her a crash course for her to be able to use it at all. And frankly, for what Tsubaki was trying to do, Izayoi's lesser form was much better suited for the task.

"Damage 49%. Fighting ability impaired. Retreat is advised."

"I will not let you!" Hakumen's blade thrust forward, the better to impale Mu and finish this battle.

"No!" Tsubaki threw herself in the way of the blade; she would NOT let anyone harm Noel. She was still in there; she could feel it. Hakumen's Ōkami stopped millimetres short, else it would have impaled Tsubaki too.

"Tsubaki? You are willing to throw your life away for this...entity?"

"She's not an 'entity'! She's my friend! She's my... my..." she turned back to Noel, "Noel, listen to me! You have to fight it! Please, wake up!"

Noel backed away, "Target Tsubaki Yayoi referring to this unit as Noel. Reason for misidentification unknown. Commencing research protocols..."

"BIG BANG SMASH!" A giant first caught Mu clean in the side of the head, sending her skidding towards the edge of the roof.

"Cranial unit damaged: Visual sensors offline. Equilibrium impaired. Switching to..."

She never got to finish that sentence. Makoto followed up with a multispin attack into a leaping uppercut, sending her about 50 feet upwards, and landing with a dull thud.

"Damage 88%. Movement severely impaired. Assistance requested."

Makoto stood, first held high, panting. "Sorry I'm late. Had to shake off a little unwanted attention from Colonel Clover. What the hell is that thi...oh my god, is that Noel!? What've they done to her!?" She almost screamed the last part

"Apparently, this is what she's really been all along, according to Terumi." Tsubaki's voice was shaky. She still couldn't really come to terms with what she was seeing before her. Someone who she developed immense, intense feelings for turned out to be little more than a very convincing robot.

 _No, I cannot think that way, that's exactly what Terumi wants. I have known her for years now. She is a person, no matter what anyone else says._

"Terumi? Yūki Terumi? As in the Six Heroes member?" Makoto was agog.

"'Member'!? More like 'Traitor'!" Hakumen roared.

"Yes. Captain Hazama was just an alias. The traitor of the Six Heroes has been trying to destroy us all the entire time. And I'd we don't stop Noel, right here right now, he might just succeed."

"I _knew_ something was off about that guy! Gah!" She threw a few air shots just to vent some of her mounting rage. "When I get my hands on him I'm gonna kill him!" She glared at the floor as she tried to regain her composure, "So what's the plan? I can't see you wanting to kill her, so you must have something up your sleeve. That waste of DNA would likely say it's impossible to save her, but I for one am not listening to a word that creep says!"

Tsu smiled grimly, "My sentiments exactly. I'm going to try to trigger some of her memories; it might be enough for however much of Noel is in there right now to get a foothold. Once that's done, we might have a chance. You in?"

Makoto put up her dukes and popped her neck, "Heh, you kidding? I'm right behind ya!"

Tsuabki knew one thing that might get through to her. Their most intimate display of love, a most treasured moment for both of them. She deployed the Zanki barrier; the last thing she wanted was anyone like Hazama seeing this and interfering.

"Noel, I'm sorry." She sprinted towards her love, using what was left of her shield to block the cascade of lasers showering her. Mu herself was having to evade Makoto's Banzai charge and the swinging fists that entailed. Makoto let loose a flurry of blows, colliding against Noel's swords, but at the same time sending them clattering away from their master. The battle was beginning to take its toll on Noel and she was losing control of her powers. She tried to create some breathing space between her and Makoto, but with her head injured she lost her sense of balance and staggered to a halt, her world reeling. Tsubaki saw the opportunity, fought her way through till she got in close range, and leapt.

One laser caused her shield to finally give way, dissolving like feathers in the wind. She reached for Noel. Another laser pierced her clean through the left shoulder, but Tsu ignored it. She had to. Noel was all that mattered. She grabbed at her with her good right arm...

...and got hold of her tunic, using it as leverage to pull herself into Noel's personal space, and kissed her. Hard.

 _Please, remember._

 _"I never saw myself as anything special. I mean, I'm not very good at school. I'm not a great athlete. I'm nobody."_

Something stirred in Mu's brain. That kiss felt familiar, somehow. "Unidentified emotional wavelength. I'm a doll. Doll. Doll."

"No you're not! You're Noel Vermillion!" Tsubaki started shaking her

"Hate the world! Destroy the world!...No one loves me..."

 _"It was the moment I first layed eyes on you were being bullied by those harlots. I was spellbound... mesmerised even. I suppose you could call it 'Love At First Sight'. This really pretty blonde girl before me."_

"...Incorrect data. Tsuabki Yayoi loves me... Tsubaki...Tsubaki...Tsubaki...tsubakitsubakitsuabkitsubaki..." Mu had, for want of a better term, just crashed. Her body twitching and eyes flashing between blue and green as the two identities fought over what or who she really was.

"Noel, I know that you're in there somewhere, so please listen to me. I love you. I always have. I always will. Now please, come back to me!" She landed an absolute smacker on her lips to try and help her come back to her senses.

Something in the kiss stirred something very deep in her soul. It was like someone else's memories had started to surface.

 _"They say we're young and we don't know._

 _We won't find out until we grow._

 _Well I don't know if all that's true_  
 _'Cause you got me, and baby I got you_

 _Babe_  
 _I got you babe."_

Makoto approached from behind and embraced her just below her flat chest, they way she always did. "Yeah, focus on Tsubaki Noel. Let her bring you back to us. We love you so much Noellers. You always were, always will be, our friend...Our loved one."

"... Tsubakitsubakitsubakitsubakitsubaki." Her eyes were spending more time green than blue; Noel was winning! She doubled over clutching her head, "Ngggggggggggh!"

Tsubaki caressed Noel's cheek, and whispered softly, "Say my name...one more time."

...the face contorted with the effort, sweat streaming down her face. The moment was building to a crescendo. Her eyes changed back to green again, and then the irises returned at last.

" **TSUBAKI!** " The sound of shattering glass as the Noel side won out, and the world went white.

* * *

 **BGM: Premonition**

"Uugh..." Tsubaki struggled to pick herself up, after being blasted back by the shockwave from Noel triumphing over Mu. Makoto was stirring too; good. Hakumen was on one knee, smoke rising off his badly singed armour. She looked up to see Noel flat on her back, dazed, "Noel!" She staggered over and cradled her. "Please! Noel, say something!" Makoto staggered over to help administer to their fallen friend.

Hakumen was not happy with what he had witnessed. _She kissed her!? In this timeline, she fell in love with_ _ **that**_ _!?_ He felt a strong urge to just finish off the Murakumo right now, regardless of what Tsubaki felt for it... but held it back. _No. I must remember that this is not my Tsubaki. As much as I try to see her in this one, my love is gone...and she's not coming back. This one deserves to make her own choices, free from what decisions and paths the past may have taken, and if I truly loved my Tsubaki then I must respect that. A fitting punishment, for a monster such as I. Someone who is incapable of saving, only destroying...maybe I was never deserving of her affection in the first place. But deserving or not, I was the one she chose, and I will fight on for her sake...It's all I have left. It's all I need._

"Ooooooh..." Noel was slowly coming round, bringing Hakumen out if his philosophising, "Tsubaki? What's happening? Where am I?" She slurred heavily. It sounded like she was badly drunk...or concussed. Tsubaki made a mental note to have her checked for head injuries.

"Kagatsuchi. The NOL branch. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I dunno..head's fuzzy. Owwwwwww. God, I feel sick." She had the mother of all migraines and her stomach felt like she has a skipping pig inside.

"Can you stand?" Tsubaki took Noel's hand and tried to help her up, carefully avoiding using her left arm, but Noel was just too dizzy and her legs nearly gave way, Tsubaki and Makoto having to prop her up for a minute before she regained her sense of balance and enough strength in her legs to use it. Even then, she was still doubled over like she'd just been punched in the gut and needed continued support from her friends not to slump to the ground. She was bleeding quite heavily from various points on her body. Through the pain and blurred vision, she could make out the blood streaming down Tsu's left arm. "Tsubaki...your arm."

"Huh? Oh it's nothing, I"ll be fine. Don't worry about it. First things first, we've got to get you out of here now!"

"Sorry, but I agree with Noellers Tsu; a hole from getting shot in the shoulder is not 'nothing'." Makoto chipped in.

"It can wait; Noel's still in danger, and that is still my number 1 priority right now. She's probably still valuable to Terumi's plan, and she's very severely injured. I can deal with this later." She winced as the pain spiked again, "Sir Hakumen, I believe Captain Hazama has already made his way to the maximum security facilities in the basement levels. Even I don't have clearance to access those areas. This...Boundary Gate you spoke of is probably in there."

Hakumen was motionless. Impassive. "Hmmph. I believe Terumi will have his hands full for the time being; it appears the Dark One and the young major have tracked him down and are giving him more of a fight than he anticipated. The gate can wait until Terumi is dealt with. What about the Murakumo?"

"Her name is _Noel_ , and she will be safe with me and Makoto, Sir Hakumen." Hakumen wasn't convinced.

A burst of static, "No need to worry, hero. I got 'em. You three may wanna hold your breath. You on the other hand better get down there and make sure Terumi joins the Choir Invisible." Kokonoe's voice echoed out over the base's comm. She must have hacked it. The air around them crackled with the energy of an impending teleport, and the three vanished.

All of them were caught out by the suddenness of the teleport, causing them to lose their sense of balance and topple over. The door to the room slid open, revealing a number of armed guards and a pink haired cat eared lady in a lab coat, "Okay, some one get them in the first aid room now!" The three of them were quickly escorted out of the room, Noel helped onto a gurney while Makoto came to Tsubaki's aid, guiding her into the infirmary. Tsubaki found herself a seat, and finally let the pain overwhelm her, and surrendered to temporary oblivion.

Back on the NOL roof, Hakumen took in the sky one last time, gave a silent prayer to his lost love, and started heading down to the basement. To a date with destiny.

* * *

 **BGM: rimelight**

 _January 8th, 2200. Sector Seven_

The three were kept in overnight for observation. Makoto was cleared to leave the next morning. While physically she was going to be alright, Kokonoe wanted to keep Noel in for a little longer, both to satisfy her scientific curiosity and to ensure there were no more nasty surprises waiting. Tsu was still recovering from having her arm fixed.

Tsubaki knocked on the door to Noel's room. She saw her sat on a chair, staring at the non descript grey floor. She was still wrapped in bandages from head to foot. It appeared that any benefit she got from the Murakumo unit deactivated when she broke out of the form. She had been fed a steady stream of painkillers and other pharmaceuticals to help her recover faster on top of the magic that had already been administered. Her own clothes in tatters, she now sat in a pair of khaki shorts and dull brown T-shirt that Makoto had been able to procure at short notice. Tsubaki herself was wearing blue; likewise, her own uniform was considered unsalvageable.

"Hey, Noel. How are you feeling?" No answer. "Noel? Can you hear me? Hello?"

"hey tsubaki" she mumbled.

"Noel, what's wrong? You won't even look at me when I walk in the room. Have I upset you or something?"

"no, nothing you've done. just wondering why you're... why you're wasting your life on something like me. i'm worthless."

"...Noel, why are you talking such complete and utter nonsense. Why do you think I'm wasting my life with you? Do you think I'm too good for you? And what's with this 'something' crap? You're 'someone'. What's brought this on all of a sudden? You were okay when you got here."

"i guess a lot of time spent stewing in my juices has me dwelling on things. was i worth saving?"

"Noel, I almost lost you! I was almost forced to kill you! I almost died trying to save you! Promise me, _vow_ to me, that you'll never make me do that to you again! Of course you're worth saving, but it seems you don't appreciate it." Now she was getting angry. "Maybe it was a mistake if I went through all that and this is all the thanks I get!"

"but tsubaki, i'm not human. i'm...i don't know what i am anymore. am i a robot who thought she was a girl? am i girl who thought she was a robot? am i just a robot? am i even truly alive?" She monotoned.

Tsu grabbed Noel roughly by the shoulders, "So what if you're not human, Noel? Neither's Makoto. She is still a person. I can tell you one thing you definitely are; you are Noel Vermillion. You are my partner. And you are loved. By me. By Makoto. By Mai and Kajun. By your adopted parents. And nothing that sleazeball Terumi says is ever going to change that. Your feelings matter. Your desires matter. Your dreams matter." Her eyes were moistening, " _You_ matter, Noel. To me, to everyone."

"tsubaki, how can you be certain that anything i think, anything i feel, is really mine? is everything i am just an imitation, a cheap knock off, of someone else?...i always wanted to learn about myself because i couldn't remember my past. Now I find out it's because _I don't have one!_ " She was finally emoting again, for better or for worse, "Makoto may not be human, but she was _born_ naturally. I was _built,_ or _grown_. In a lab. And from what Captain Hazama showed me, by all accounts I _shouldn't even exist!_ I should have died years ago. So everything I am _is just a complete fluke!_ " She buried her head in her hands, on the brink of complete despair. Tsu had to tread carefully. Noel was clearly emotionally unstable. Anymore and she might suffer a nervous breakdown.

"Shhhhhh, Noel it's okay. Just try to relax." She kneeled down and embraced her, "So what if you shouldn't exist? The fact of the matter is you _do_ exist. That is worthy of note. In all the continuums, there is only one Noel Vermillion. So, you are truly unique. One of a kind. Amazing. Irreplaceable... _special."_

That last word finally caused Noel to break down into Tsu's shoulder. She had been through Hell yesterday, but now, with Tsubaki, she felt safe at last. It was several minutes before Noel regained her composure and the wailing and weeping had died to to the occasional sniffle, "I remember you telling me that the day we first kissed, you didn't think you were anything special. Well, trust me when I say, you _are."_

"You remember that!?...Not bad for someone who spent a fair bit of that day unconscious." She laughed shakily. Tsubaki smiled. It seemed Noel was coming out of her funk at last.

"I think it will take more than a rush of blood to the head to make me forget that." Tsubaki chuckled back, "Terumi wanted you to be the weapon that would destroy the world, but you could use what he did to you to save it instead. Please pardon my French, but what better way to say 'fuck you!' to the guy than to use the tools he gave you to stop his plot dead?"

"I guess...I guess I never thought of it like that...hey, your arm. It's fixed."

Tsu looked at her shoulder, "Uh-huh. Some basic first aid, and it's amazing what you can do with magic." Tsu was kidding herself a little; it was still very tender, and twinged when she moved it too much. It'd take a couple of weeks to fully settle down. "Listen, I know you've always been overburdened with self-doubt, no self-belief. Well, I believe in you. I don't mean to sound like a motivational speaker or a superhero, but if you can't believe in yourself, then at least believe in me that believes in you. This power is yours to do with what you will. And it would be a great shame if you didn't make use of these gifts. Prove the world wrong. You can do this, Noel." She followed up with a quick peck on the lips. "Okay, no more crying from you. Understood?" Noel nodded.

A couple of raps at the door interrupted her pep talk, "'Sup?" Ragna strolled in, but stopped when he saw Tsubaki in the room, "Oh. It's you."

"Ragna The Bloodedge. Why are you here? Haven't you hurt us enough already?"

"Okay. I dunno what the hell I've done to you for you to hate me so much, considering we've barely ever met before, but I'd love to hear it. So go on, shoot."

"What you've done!? My childhood friend nearly got himself killed after you attacked him and only by a minor miracle is he still fighting now! Noel here was made to go after him, and because of that, she ended up in Terumi's clutches and she's ended up in the sorry state she's in now! So yes, I hate you because you've deeply hurt two people I happen to be very fond of! Seems quite a natural reaction to me!"

"Have to correct you there; Jin going after me was entirely his own fault, coz he wants to spend his entire life humping my leg because he's an insane little prick! Anyway, why I'm here? It's to see Noel, make sure she's, you know, not gone mad or some shit! From the sounds of things, it seems she could do with a little pick-up."

"Why do you care about her so much, eh? You don't even know her."

Ragna facepalmed, "Because she's my sister, dumbass!" Noel's face went into shock.

"Your sister!? How is that possible!? She's an only child! And adopted anyway!" None of this made any sense.

"If you'll shut up for two seconds , I'll explain. The organic bits of the Murakumo Units were derived from the genetic material of my little sister Saya, or Imperator or whatever name she's going by this weekend. So genetically, that makes Noel here my little sister too. Capiche?"

"So where exactly have you been all her life then? Doesn't seem very brotherly of you to only show up now _after_ she's been through Hell...basically, WHERE WERE YOU WHEN SHE NEEDED YOU THE MOST!?"

"BECAUSE I ONLY FOUND OUT A FEW FUCKING HOURS AGO, YA MORON! Sheesh! If you're wondering how I got this information, I helped myself to the NOL's mainframe while I was at the branch. If you don't believe me, here's a copy of the data." He tossed a disc case to Tsu. "For all his bluster, Terumi's computer security is woeful. Pays to know people in high places. And while we're on the subject of siblings, that little gremlin Jin that you care about so much? He's my little shit brother."

That hit Tsubaki for Six, "What?"

"Sorry, does using Izayoi mean you need a hearing aid as well as glasses!? I'll say it nice and slowly so your tiny brain can process it in nice small chunks. He. Is. My. Brother. Bom-bom-booooooooooooooom! Come on music guy! Wake up!" No need to vocalise incidental music, but he was in he mood to annoy her; he'd already decided he didn't like her.

"Okay then, so explain this to me. Why do you hate him so much? What did he do that is so unforgivable?"

"Do you have any idea what he used to do to our sister? Look, we're orphans, never knew our parents, hell may not even have any, and as the eldest I had to look out for the other two. Saya got sick, and I had to spend most of my time looking after her. Jin didn't like that. Didn't like that at all. All the shit he used to pull just because he's an attention seeking little manwhore! And at the end of the day-" Ragna removed the right sleeve of his jacket and top, revealing the Azure Grimoire, "-the little rent boy chopped my arm off, basically did _this_ to me. I know it's Terumi's fault too, but I wouldn't be stuck with this damn thing if it weren't for him. So when you add him being my brother with his little obsession, the net result is that he's into incest as well. Hey, with your 'Blood Purity' policy, your family knows all about that, right?" He thrust his hips a few times, taunting her.

"HOW DARE YOU! You know nothing about my family! The stigma we face every day because of that stupud, ill thought out policy, a policy we are doing away with because it does us more harm than good. Do you know, Ragna, what it's like to know you're the only one of your siblings who survived adolescence? All the brothers and sisters who I will never know? And if they had survived, I may not have been needed!? Never been born!?"

"Tsubaki?" Noel didn't know about that part of Tsu's family; she'd always avoided going into much detail.

"Yes Noel, it's true. The reason I wanted to help you just now with whether you should exist or not...is because I have asked myself many of those same questions many times. I know how you feel better than you realise." She took Noel in her arms, "I refuse to let you face this alone."

Ragna cleared his throat, "Okay then. So answer me this; why do _you_ care about Noel so much?"

"Because she's my best friend, idiot! Wouldn't you do that for your friends!? Oh that's right, I forgot, you don't have any! Ha!"

"Ouch, that one almost tickled, ya Hillbilly." Ragna clutched his chest in mock pain, "But seriously, is that all she is to you? I've seen the looks you've been giving each other. Heard a bit of what you two were saying before too. Of course I didn't know it was Tsubaki till now. I really must question your taste in girls, Noel." Tsu tried to look confused, before Ragna made a circle with the thumb and index finger of his right hand, held it to his mouth, stuck his tongue through it and started wiggling it about, "Tonsil Hockey" he clarified. Tsu went bright red.

"Ha! I knew it! Oh geez! I'd have hated to have been around when you told your dad...wait, you _have_ told him, right?" Tsubaki shook her head, "Oh jeez, you want my opinion? You can't keep it a secret forever. It's eventually going to come out into the public domain one way or another. You may as well make sure it's done on your terms." Ragna grabbed Tsu by the lapels, "Now answer me _this_. What would you do to protect her if her life was in danger? How far would you go?"

"I would readily give my life for her! And while we're at it, unhand me this instant!" Tsu glared back

"Wrong answer. You think of how much you'd hurt her if you did? Much as I hate to admit it, she needs you. If you love her like you say you do, you'd have more respect for her feelings. Promise me this; you ever find the two if you in a situation like that, for her sake you better fight like a demon to survive! To save both of you! Then I _might_ give you a chance."

"...I understand. And I promise." Tsu didn't flinch once. _Ballsy._ "Terumi...is he?"

"Dead? Yeah." Ragna finally let go of her, "He made a contimuum jump to...somewhere and somewhen quite painful for me. The church the three of us lived in. Where Jin pulled his little stunt. Got to finish the green haired bastard off there. Ironic, the night he ruined my life turned into the night I ended his." A humourless laugh followed. Tsubaki didn't bother trying to understand exactly what Ragna was getting at, and deep down she didn't care. Terumi was no more. That was all she needed to know.

"A pity. I really wanted a piece of him for myself, but I suppose I can accept that he's been dealt with anyway."

"Are you sure he isn't going to come back?" Noel asked. She was justifiably worried after yesterday's events.

"If he comes back after what I did to him, he deserves a goddamned medal. Though I'd love to see him try and come back when _he has no soul left._ " He flared the Azure Grimoire to illustrate just what he'd done.

"Okay, thank you Ragna." He walked up to her and patted her on the head.

"Noel, take care of yourself kiddo. I'll come back later." He turned sharply and left quickly. Being around Tsu was making his fists itch. Not that he was the sort to go out of his way to hit women, but there was something about Tsubaki that just rubbed him the wrong way. Even more than Rachel did.

 _Okay, no more moping._ With a heave, Noel rose out of her seat. "Okay, I'm done with this. You're right Tsu. Whether I should or shouldn't exist doesn't matter anymore. Right now, I _do_ exist. It's time for me to move on with the rest of my life...a life with you, Tsubaki." She leaned in and kissed her, "I love you so much, you know that?"

"Good, I'm glad. And I do know." Tsu returned the kiss with interest.

"Oh jeez you two, room 252's not being used. You wanna partake in some good old fashioned hanky panky, go and do it somewhere private. Don't worry, I promise I won't peek. Heehee." Makoto's voice cut in on the comm.

"Tsu?"

"Hmm?"

"We've never...you know...I know this is a little abrupt, but...I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm ready. To take the next step with you."

"You're asking to make love to me?" Noel nodded in affirmation, "But you're still wounded. I could end up hurting you, I could..."

Noel put a finger to Tsu's lips, "I realise that. But my heart is telling me it's the right time. And if I can follow my heart, I can prove to the world that I'm a real person." She shifted uneasily, "This'll be the first time for both of us, huh?" Tsu nodded. Noel smiled, "I can't think of anyone in the world who I'd rather share it with."

Tsu's own heart skipped a beat, "You're sure about this?"

Noel's smile broadened, "Yes. I've never been surer of anything in my life. Please, just...Just shut up and take me! Now!"

Tsu beamed and devoured Noel's lips as they dragged each other towards the room Makoto had designated, slamming the door behind them. The door quickly opened one last time for Tsubaki to hook the 'Important Experiment In Progress. Do Not Disturb' tag around the door handle.


	3. Sappily Ever After

_Two years later_

 _Sometime in January 2202. 7:30 am. Switzerland._

"Aaaaaargh!"

"Aiiiieeeeeeee!"

"Yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

For what must have been the twentieth time so far on the journey, Kajun found her face plastered against the rear side window of the hire car from the momentum of the turn. Mai was lying spread-eagled on the middle rear seat next to her, the seatbelt not up to the task of keeping her in her seat. She flailed ineffectually trying to right herself.

Their driver, Makoto, paid them no heed as she drove much too fast for the conditions through the winding forests that made up their current locale. "Let's see what's on the jukebox." She pressed a few buttons on the old radio. The old car they'd hired from the aerodrome for the trip up the mountain to the happy couple's second home still had the original cassette player, which of course had fallen out of use centuries ago, except among hipsters and collectors of antiques and other curios. Which was a pity, because it ensured you didn't get anything post circa 1995, so back when people still had to know _how to_ _play an instrument_ _or sing in key_ in order to get anywhere in the music business, even if your band name, lyric writing and fashion sense left a lot to be desired. She jiggled with the controls.

 **BGM: Propaganda - Duel (The old music to Top Gear Rally Report for those who know their UK TV theme tune history. Also, a personal favourite driving song.)**

Makoto's face lit up, "Cool!"

"Makoto Nanaya! Do you want us to actually make it to their home!? Or are you more interested in taking the fast way down this damn mountain!?" Kajun had manages to unstick herself from the window

"Oh, will you two relax? I know what I'm doing." Makoto tried to sound earnest. Her driving style left a lot to be desired at the best of times, and now, trying to pull powerslides and handbrake turns up a narrow mountain pass in heavy snow, it was borderline suicidal.

"We know what you definitely aren't doing; taking part in the Monte Carlo Rally! Please slow down before you get us all killed!" Kajun screamed.

"Besides, you know the Swiss are absolute tyrants about cars! At best you're going to get yourself pulled over! Particularly in this...this widowmaker!" Mai should have known the instant they saw the hire car that she and Kajun were in deep trouble; an over 200 year old Peugeot 205 GTi T16. A rally car. Obviously, it had been rebuilt several times since then, either from the climate reducing the metal body to fine pile of rust or from a boy racer with more money than skill leading the car into an intimate embrace with a particularly lucky tree, and the parts and set up were vintage. The model certainly had sporting pedigree, sadly from a particularly lethal era in the sport's history; insanely fast, but get it wrong and you're not pulled from the vehicle, so much as quietly swept into the nearest ditch. For all her bravado, Makoto had no intention of joining them today.

She saw the road ahead come to a crest. Seeing the chance for some airtime, she floored the throttle. The crest turned out to be a sizeable jump. They were airborne for about two seconds before crashing down, Makoto fighting the steering wheel trying to maintain control of the car, while her passengers were busy losing control of their stomachs. And the contents thereof.

Another leap, and on the other side a young deer. Makoto nearly lost the car swerving to avoid it, but just about managed to manhandle the fishtailing back end back into line.

"Heads up! Hairpin!" Makoto dug the front right wheel in the ditch to the inside of the right hand 180, her rear wheels firing two plumes of snow into the abyss below. Her two passengers were sent flying to the left of the rear seats.

"Makoto Nanaya! Stop this car n-Owwwww!" Karjun's protests were cut short by Mai's toiletry bag hitting her in the face. What exactly she was carrying in there that made it weigh so much was anyone's guess.

"We're all gonna diiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Mai wailed, flailing her limbs again like a small child having a tantrum. All Makoto could do was chuckle. They were definitely underestimating her. Still, it just wouldn't do to prove them right, and the constant moaning was starting to give her a headache. Maybe she should throttle back on the exuberant driving just to make sure one or both of her passengers didn't have a breakdown...Or the car for that matter. Sighing, she let the car decelerate a little. They stay had quite a way to go, but hopefully they'd made good time.

* * *

While Mai and Kajun were busy writing their wills, Noel and Tsubaki were snuggled up comfy in bed. They owned a holiday home here in Switzerland, primarily so they had a place near Noel's family if they ever wanted to visit, but it also came in handy for times like now, when the snow came and the gang ever felt like going skiing. Despite none of them actually being any good at it; always pizza'ing when they should french-fry, and inevitably leading to a bad time if you believed those guides in Aspen...

That wasn't to say it only ever got used in winter. The weather could be pretty good during the warmer months of the year, so the pair always tried to grab at least a couple of weeks up here just to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, get some fresh air and some decent chocolate for Tsubaki; Noel found it useful bribery material. The hiking was good if you were into that sort of thing, and nowadays it had among the greatest concentration of 'unspoiled' wildlife anywhere in the world, so it was a bit of a haven for naturalists too.

Noel was first to wake up, smiling weakly at her still slumbering, slightly snoring girlfriend. She stroked a few stray strands of hair out of Tsubaki's face. She stirred for a moment, before deciding it was too much effort and that she was quite happy with where she was and what she was doing, thank you so very much, and drifted off again with a thin smile on her face.

Noel took a moment to examine all the little trinkets and momentos the two had picked up over the five years they'd been together. Pride of place went to a large professional photograph taken during a vacation 3 months ago, the two dolled up for a late night romantic meal.

And the night Tsubaki finally plucked up the courage and popped the question...

* * *

 _October 2201,_ _4th Hierarchical City of Naobi_

It had been a while since Tsubaki had been on a proper vacation. While still a member of the NOL, leave time was at a premium, and no one ever got to use up their full allowance. After that, she'd always needed to work to keep the money coming in, most of their collective savings being tied up in property, doing a variety of odd jobs from secretarial work to receptionist to shop assistant, hell even some work as a bar maid. It didn't pay as well as she was used to, and when combined with Noel's own limited job prospects sometimes the two of them did struggle to make ends meet. But with time they had managed to save up enough money to give themselves a long overdue treat.

The full moon dominated the sky as Tsubaki and Noel enjoyed their evening meal. Both had dressed to impress, with Noel wearing a midnight blue gown with showing plenty of leg, while Tsu had dressed in a creme number that she had owned for a good while, but had never had the chance to wear it. She had forgotten she even owned it till she had a good clean out of her closet and found it buried in the depths, making a promise to herself to wear it next time she was doing anything upmarket. If she were honest with herself, the dress revealed a little more skin than she would have liked; no back and both cleavage and sideboob, so by extension no bra, which made her feel quite exposed. Noel thought it was overly risque. Thank God for the invention of double sided sticky tape. Her hair was in a Chignon.

Tsubaki dabbed the handkerchief to her lips to remove the last vestiges of the chocolate gateau she had just eaten for dessert. Noel was quietly staring off into the diatance, minding her own business, having polished off her crème brûlée some time ago. Tsubaki was kind of relieved; it would give her a moment to steel herself for the big moment.

"Enjoy your dessert?" Tsu struck up some small talk.

Noel did a double take, "Huh? Oh, sorry. Away with the fairies there. Yes, it was very nice. Yours?"

"It's chocolate. What's not to like?" Tsu smiled.

"Besides the cavaties? The fillings? Other dental practises we could mention?" Noel leaned forward with an amused look on her face, "Shall I go on?" Tsu smirked and shooed her away. Noel sat back and looked around for a waiter, "More wine?"

Tsu shook her head ,"Nah, I'm in the mood for a coffee right now. Want one?"

Noel shrugged, "Yeah, sure." She raised her hand to signal for some attention.

The waiter cleared his throat as he stopped at their table, "Excuse me madam, I have a gift for you from one of our patrons." The waiter came up to Noel with a small leather effect box with a pale blue ribbon wrapped around it.

Noel gently palmed it away, "Heh, tell them I'm flattered but I already have company tonight, so regretfully I cannot accept this. Thank you." Noel smiled at the waiter and returned to her conversation, "Tsubaki?" The poor girl looked absolutely distraught.

"It's...it's from me, Noel."

Noel's jaw dropped. She took the box and opened it. Inside was a simple silver ring with a tie on tag, on which was written a single word.

 _Please?_

Her hands shot over her mouth in shock. "Is this? Are you?"

Tsubaki nodded, looking a bit ashamed. Noel reached for her handbag, took out a pen, and began writing. Tsubaki was a little confused up to the point when Noel handed the tag to her.

 **:D X X**

"Does that mean...yes?" Noel smiled and nodded. Tsu let out a squeal of delight as she rose from her seat and embraced her, followed by a massive kiss that drew cheers from the onlookers. After a bit of faffing around, Tsubaki just about managed to get the ring around Noel's finger. Her sense of relief was palpable.

You could amount telegraph what happened next; happy sighs, rolling eyes and Noel holding a limp Tsubaki who'd just fainted again. Why did that happen every time she felt completely loved up? Not knowing Tsu was going to do this, they had planned on going clubbing later on as well! So much for that idea.

* * *

She smiled at the memory, the day she could definitely say she felt complete. Trust someone like Tsubaki to come up with a spectacle like that, a mix of Ham and Cheese taken to the nth degree; the planned-for late night rave simply took place the following night, so it wasn't like they missed on on a good time, and a _very_ good time for the after party. Today was the day they'd finally get to tell their friends properly. Everyone had been really busy with their own lives to even get time to talk over the phone. It was sheer luck that everyone was free for the week to come up for a good catch-up over a vino or coffee.

She saw Tsu was beginning to writhe under the sheets, like she was enjoying a particularly naughty dream. Noel decided it was worthy of further investigation. Giggling to herself, she lay down again, closed her eyes, and tried to connect to Tsubaki...

 _Hey, Tsubaki._

 _Oh, hey Noel._

 _Can I come in?_

 _What? Oh, I would rather you didn't. This one's a bit too embarrassing._

 _Oh, what could be so bad that-?_

 _(Sigh) here's a taster_. Noel promptly felt what Makoto would refer to as 'a tingly sensation in her naughty bits', causing her to gasp.

 _Errmm...okay yeah, you're right, actually. Hehe, I'll leave you be._

 _Thank you. Goodnight._

 _It's half seven, Tsubaki._

 _Oh, good morning then, nitpicky! Love you._

 _Hehe. Love you too._

Noel opened her eyes, and tried to get her raging hormones under control. She had to resort to some breathing exercises Makoto had showed the group to finally calm down. Tsubaki's smile broadened slighly; _one nil to me._

Having finally gotten herself comfortable again, she lay in bed, Tsubaki slumbering away, and took Tsu in her arms. For someone like Tsubaki who was always so serious, seeing her so at peace was a sight to treasure. Noel figured she was onto something and snuggled down under the covers. She planted a light kiss on Tsubaki's cheek, whispering sweet nothings in her ear till she too dozed off.

* * *

 **BGM: Breeze**

It was another hour before Tsu opened her eyes lazily, "Good morning Noel." She drew her in for a cuddle.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty." She gave her a peck on the cheek, "Hehe, good dreams?"

"Of course it was; I was dreaming of you." Her smile broadened, "But then, you already knew that, didn't you? Nosey Parker." She started playing around with the tip of Noel's nose, while Noel wriggled and giggled trying to get away or at least get Tsu to stop.

Noel found out the hard way that she could form a mental link with other Murakumo units, which had caused her quite the sizeable amount of psychological trauma from that time she had inadvertently bonded with Nu on New Years 2200. One good thing that came from that discovery was that as the Izayoi that Tsubaki wielded was what they were based on, as an persistent residual effect of her using it it worked with her too. To that end, Tsubaki could let Noel into her dreams, and with a bit of practice Noel could let Tsubaki into hers. It lead to much good humoured ribbing and a fair bit of embarrassment when they foud out just how utterly warped their partner's fantasies were; Tsubaki the dashing musketeer, complete with fake pencil moustache, sweeping in to save the fair Princess Noepunzel, all the while shouting ludicrous boasts at the top of her lungs. Or Noel, 3 Michelin Star chef, serving chocolat au Tsubaki in an exhibition of _really_ erotic eating while surrounded by body popping Pandas. Most of the time, it was just as a spectator, but sometimes they found themselves being 'dragged onstage', and began getting some actual sensory stimulus from it, which is what just happened to Noel. So no need to guess just what Tsubaki was just dreaming about, and she already knew who with...

Which was nothing compared to what happened when Noel _really_ pushed the boat out; a brief union of their souls. What one felt, so did the other. It required them both to achieve an altered state of consciousness, something of a cross between hypnosis and an Out-Of-Body Experience, and it needed a fair amount of preparation to make sure they were properly in sync with each other; they knew when they were ready when they stopped finishing each other's sentences and progressed to talking in unison. Noel had to be the one to initiate it, as it was her power that was doing all of the work. They didn't do it often, partly due to the required time and effort of doing so, wanting to save it for special occasions, it in general feeling several kinds of weird, and partly due to Tsubaki's near miss with Hazama trying to brainwash her only to be foiled by Hakumen's very timely interference, making her reluctant to try it, which said nothing of Noel's own issues regarding her time as Mu. It did take a lot of time and work for Tsubaki and Noel to get past their mutual reserved natured, stop holding back, and learn to truly trust each other enough to open up each other's very beings, to do it at all, but when they did, naturally the two had the best sex in the world; you would too if you had two people's sensory input going through your nervous system. It had been difficult to do to begin with, but it was getting quite a lot easier to do as time went by, they could get into the right mindset much more easily, and they became truly comfortable with each other's little intimacies and intricacies.

It helped Noel was such a gentle person, something which Tsu tried to return, which extended to their lovemaking technique. Tsu likened it to a Japanese meal; small portions but lots of courses. She always knew how to make Tsubaki feel like a million dollars, and while not exactly dominant in the relationship, under Tsubaki's tutelage Noel had really come out of her shell. It warmed Tsubaki's heart to see Noel finally blossom and start living up to her potential, though Noel would say that it was only possible through Tsu's overwhelming love and support. While not exactly what you'd call an independent woman, she had a better grasp of what she wanted out of her life, out of her relationship with Tsubaki, and was much more willing to talk about it.

The NOL had been forcibly disbanded by Hakumen after Terumi's demise; trying to pull a last gasp gambit of Self Observation by a Cauldron wasn't a great career move when someone like Rachel could follow you to your 'save point' with Ragna and Hakumen in tow and have Ragnar finish you off with Black Onslaught while you were still trying to get your shit together from being erased from the future by Hakumen's Tokigoroshi.

 _"SURRENDER NOW... **TO OBLIVION!** "_

 _Sorry. No more contrived get out clause for you now. Do everyone a favour. STAY dead this time, you worthless smear of shit._

The group was seen as 'tainted by association', and when some of their seedier dealings came to light no one wanted anything more to do with them, so they couldn't replace all the people they had lost. The seemingly omnipresent organisation that governed the world, going out with a whimper. Poetic. And pathetic. Given what Ragna had done to the NOL, no one was willing to find out what happened if Hakumen tried to do likewise if they tried to argue.

That did leave the gang at a loss as to what to do with the rest of their working lives. Money wasn't really an issue for most of them; there was no point in trying to sugarcoat it, everyone had stolen a fair bit from the NOL's more ill gotten coffers before they jumped ship. Quite a lot had been put on one side to help rebuilding, disaster relief and that sort of thing, but everyone had taken a small cut; enough to buy a decent place to live and get by for a while as everyone decided what to do next; it was how the two of them got enough money to afford this place even if it did break the bank. Tsu had found the odd jobs she'd done thus far unfulfilling, and considered taking up bodyguard work as a suitable use of her hard honed talents, and being able to work for herself and not having to worry too much about orders that she didn't believe in appealed to her given what, in the name of following orders, she nearly blindly wandered into back in Kagatsuchi. Noel, for all her Ars Magus aptitude, was never really that comfortable with combat or the military life, and decided on a complete change in direction. After much deliberation, she eventually decided to become a schoolteacher. She was coming towards the end of her training, and was due to receive her certification within the next 6 months. She called it Primary school, Tsu insisted on Elementary school. Either way, she was good with young kids, and it wasn't the sort of environment that required an in depth knowledge of a particular subject, were Noel's relative lack of brainpower would by sorely evident. Besides, Noel's rampant imagination would help her future charges' own develop. But would she be the sort of teacher who was liked rather than respected? One would guess taking the plunge was the only way to find out. Tsu had pointed out that kids tended to have fonder memories of their teachers from when they were younger rather than older, so 'liked' was no bad thing.

"What time is it?" Tsubaki asked.

"Ermmm...half past eight." Noel looked glum, "Aww. They'll be here soon, which means we have to get out of bed."

Tsubaki chuckled, "You just make sure the house is spick and spam. I'll go and make breakfast for everyone after I grab a shower. Before you get any ideas, NO JOINING ME! You can get in after me. No peeping either." Noel pouted, "I think I'll probably do a full fry-up for everyone. I know for a fact that Kajun won't touch airline food with a barge pole. And Makoto probably needs a third breakfast by now." She swung her feet out of bed and found the fluffy slippers Noel had bought her last Christmas. She was already wearing socks in bed at this time of year in addition to the pyjama pants and old jumper to help keep her warm in winter. Noel wore similar attire.

"I imagine Mai and Kajun will have lost theirs anyway." Noel quipped. They were familiar with Makoto's _exuberant_ driving style too, "But first things first Tsubaki, it's a good thing you're taking that shower, coz you really need to do something about your bed hair!" It was true. For all of Tsubaki's style and grace, her hair took to static like a duck to water. She was a walking Van De Graaff Generator. Noel's was less problematic after she trimmed it down to her academy length; she associated it with happier memories than the longer hairdo when she was a Lieutenant.

"Another peep out of you, and you get the Koochie-koochie treatment!" Noel stuck her tongue out at Tsu, who delivered on her threat. Tsu grabbed Noel just beneath the ribs and started tickling over Noel's squeals of protest. Noel wriggled free, grabbed her pillow and biffed Tsu over the head repeatedly amidst a choir of laughs. Tsubaki picked up a pillow of her own and followed suit, quickly degenerating into a wrestling match

This continued for a couple of minutes of shrieks and screams of laughter before being interrupted by the telephone ringing. Noel, being nearer to it, blew the feathers out of her mouth and picked it up.

"Hello? The Yayois."

"Good lord, Noel. You already married and you didn't tell me?"

"Oh, hi Ragna" Noel smiled, while Tsu harrumphed in the background. "No, we're not. At least, hehe, not yet. It's just shorter than saying, "Hello, the Yayoi and Vermillion household"." She giggled.

"'Not yet'? There something you're not telling me young lady?" He said in his smarmiest voice.

"No, nothing." She tried to sound innocent, "So, what can I do for you? I doubt you'd call us without needing something."

"Nah, just thought I'd give you a call, haven't done so since before Christmas and you probably thought I was being rude."

"You are rude."

A chortle from the other end, "Hehe. And a belated Happy Birthday too. Did you get my present?"

"Oh yeah. Thank you so much! I've been after one of those for years." Ragna had gotten her a limited edition super sized cuddly Panda. One based on a cartoon that Noel had enjoyed as a little girl, and was still a closet devotee now. One that had unbeknownst to Noel had set Ragna back several hundred bucks. He didn't care; if it made one the few people in the world he cared about happy, he was willing to pay it. Tsu knew about this guilty pleasure and didn't think very highly of it, but kept her opinions to herself because, well, she had her own guilty pleasures and it would be hypocritical of her.

"I know. You did tell me. Jeez, now I know why it was so hard getting hold of one of the things. The hoops I had to jump through to get it."

"Well, it's a collector's item now. I'd still love to know how..."

Tsubaki mentally blocked out the conversation going on around her, got up and left them to it. She may as well get started on that shower while Noel was on the phone to Mr Congeniality.

* * *

Noel had finished her shower, a towel now in her hand, doing her best to get the last bits of moisture out of her hair. One advantage of shorter hair was that it took less time to dry. One instance were it was a boon if you were bald. Which neither of them were. Obviously. The humidity and general steamy aroma blocked out the smell of cooking as Tsubaki prepared breakfast.

She took a moment to have a look at her naked body in the mirror. While the wounds she received from Tsu and Makoto had long since healed over, her injuries at Hakumen's hands had healed quite poorly, and periodically flared up. It was probably some residual effects from Ōkami 's ability to prevent healing. Either way, they all looked at least a little unsightly. Hopefully they'd fade away in a couple more years, and the whole episode would fade from her memory completely. She gingerly touched the one that ran across her right hip, from where she nearly face tanked Hakumen's Yukikaze and was nearly cut in half at the waist as a result. That one was the worst, but the blow had probably contributed to her defeat and subsequent rescue more than any other, so in spite of it all she really couldn't hold it against him. Hell, she almost _thanked_ him, given the circumstances. She selected a white fluffy bathrobe and proceeded towards the kitchen.

"Noel?" Noel gave Tsubaki a glance as she entered. Tsu gestured to the cup of water by the fridge, to which she gave an "oh, of course!" expression. It was a reminder to take her regimen of painkillers; even though she was just thinking about her scars, the medication could easily slip her mind. She returned to the bathroom and reached into the cupboard and pulled out the medicine box and picking out one of the blue tablets. You were supposed to take it as one tablet, but Noel always split it in half so it was easier to swallow; she had a bit of difficulty swallowing the damned things if she didn't. She followed up with a red and black capsule and a smaller white tablet. Tsu removed herself from the stove, washed her hands and relieved Noel of her bathrobe to help Noel apply her creams and ointments to the scars, while at the same time trying to maintain her temper when Noel, deliberately in Tsubaki's opinion, gave little moans and sighs whenever she administered certain spots. She could never be sure if she was giving her the come on or was just being a complete wuss. The wounds from Hakumen weren't a real threat to her overall health, but it was enough to be seriously annoying and stop her from doing some of her day to day activities. The severity and regularity of these episodes had gone down with time, which was a relief. If she kept up her regimen, she would barely notice. And luckily in relation to today, it didn't do anything weird with alcohol, which they were expecting to be consuming a fair amount of.

Besides, while the physical wounds were occasionally troublesome, the mental and emotional wounds had healed _very_ well. Tsu's words to her that day had done a world of good, Makoto was quick to add her own little pick-me-ups, and Noel was back to her usual self remarkably quickly. It was kind of funny how you could take one's words and completely flip the meaning on its head. So while things weren't perfect, all things considered it could have turned out a lot worse.

Once Noel had gotten ready and Tsubaki having furnished them both with steaming cups of coffee, Tsu was drumming her fingers on the table, "Noel honey, I want to talk to you about something. Something that's been on my mind for a while." Noel looked at her with concern, "I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to feel really broody." She looked up at Noel, "I guess what I'm saying is I'd like for us to try and start a family sometime soon. What do you think?"

Noel felt a slight wave of relief; she always felt like Tsu was about to say that Noel had done or indeed not done something and had just caused a minor catastrophe. It wouldn't be the first time and probably wouldn't be the last. She took Tsu's hand in her own, "Tsubaki, I'd like to as well, but while it may not be an issue for you, you know what the doctors predicted about my body as a result of the battle and what I am. I won't be able to conceive for several years, if at all." Tsu placed her other hand on Noel's and gave a little squeeze of reassurance.

Noel was in a bit of a quandary about that. Tests had been run on her in the time since her true nature was made apparent, and even if her semi artificial state turned out to not be a factor, which fortunately it looked like it wouldn't be, in relation to the rest of her her reproductive organs were severely underdeveloped, more akin to her chronological age rather than her physical one. Her breasts were a shining testament to that. On the plus side, they would begin to develop properly in a few years with any luck, so Noel was quietly hopeful primarily of her chest finally filling out and maybe having a child of her own in a few years time to prove to the world that she was no longer just a lab experiment that gained a life of it's own.

"Then I'll do it myself. And if that doesn't work, we'll adopt. There's a lot of poor kids out there who lost their families during the uprising and need a good loving home. We can give them that." Tsu freed up her hands and took a sip of her drink.

Noel looked apprehensive, "Tsubaki, do you think I'd make a good parent? It's not something I want to commit to if I don't do a good job of it. I mean, look at Relius Clover."

Tsu's drink nearly went down the wrong way, "You're comparing yourself to _him!_? What in the name of all that's holy have you been smoking Noel!? You are nothing like him."

"I know, it's just I don't want people to think badly of my child because I'm not up to the task of being a mother. I just couldn't do that. To them or to myself."

"Well, to answer your question, I don't see why not. So long as you try to be more assertive so they don't push you around and they know who's in charge, you'll do fine. Take it from me, you already have many traits that would stand you in good stead. You're kind, honest, giving, compassionate, empathic, very protective of those you care about, when it comes down to it quite patient, kind of fierce when angry, and as this conversation is yet again proving overly modest..." Noel's face lightened up a little; someone else saying these things about her, even if it was her wife to be, did her self esteem a lot of good. Even now self aggrandising was not something Noel was keen to partake in. "...because you know how much I hate really obnoxious people." Tsu laughed and made like she was headbutting someone.

She smiled back, "And...how exactly are we going to work out which of us they mean when they say 'mommy'?"

Tsu's eyes narrowed as she pondered, "Hmmmmm...how about mommy and mama? That'll work. Someone famous did it once long ago."

"Or maybe Tsu-mama and Noel-mama." Tsu just smiled and shook her head at that. Noel stroked her chin, deep in thought, trying to decide in her next topic, "Boy or girl?"

"Oh, girl. Definitely." Tsu smirked, "Do you really want to bring another Jin Kisaragi into the world?" She did her best to strike a pompous pose. "I am Jin Kisaragi, Master Of The Universe! You may now kiss my ass!"

Noel burst out laughing, "So says the girl who crushed after him for how many years!"

"I did not! Need I remind you that I have always been Noelsexual? He may be my oldest friend, but even I think he's a bit of an asshole now." The relationship between the two had cooled since Kagatsuchi. Now even Tsubaki wasn't immune to Jin's verbal assaults. Whatever had happened to him during the Ikaruga Civil War and since, it was difficult being near him now. There was only so much crap one could take before you said to yourself, "I can't help you, and frankly you're not worth the grief you cause me anymore. I'm sorry". Tsu had yet to reach that point, maybe out of a long-standing sense of loyalty to her only friend from her childhood, and that she needed to be there for him to repay the debt. But she did worry whether she would one day reach the limits of her patience with him.

Noel went back to looking thoughtful, "Jin...I wonder what he's doing now. Besides being a complete asshat I mean." They hadn't heard from him in over a year. He came by their main residence in Naobi to drop off Tsu's Christmas present; Noel of course didn't get one, or a birthday present, but Noel had all but stopped caring about him. She knew Jin wasn't going to change his tune, so there was no point in wasting her time trying to earn the respect of someone like that. They may be brother and sister, but that was were any sense of kinship ended. Most of their interactions these days consisted of her politely telling him to fuck off, and him impolitely telling her to fuck off. Maybe he was just jealous that Tsubaki chose Noel over him, and he was taking it out on both of them. Or maybe he was just cheesed that Noel, the alleged trash, had actually beaten him at something and he couldn't accept that. Sibling rivalry was weird like that.

They didn't think they had anything to worry about really; Ragna had already made it clear to him that if Jin tried anything then Ragna would be laminating the floor with Jin's face. And after careful pummelling, Jin could very well be sucking the following day's lunch _through a straw..._

Any further navel gazing over the finer points of douchebaggery was interrupted by the tired sound of a hard pressed internal combustion engine heralded the arrival of their guests. Makoto was first out, bounding up the driveway to embrace Tsubaki and laughing all the while.

"Sorry we're a bit late. Had to stop the car and let those two..." she gestured to her two passengers still stuck in the back of the car, "...get rid of excess weight."

"(Sigh) You made them sick again, didn't you?" Tsubaki quipped.

"What? Hey, I could sue you for libel! I don"t have to sit here and listen to your disingenuous assertions or your snide insinuations!" Makoto tried to look offended.

 _Someone's clearly been reading a dictionary_. Ignoring Makoto, Tsubaki gestured to Mai and Kajun, stumbling out of the car, and looking quite pale. Mai was doubled over heaving, while Kajun was leaning again a tree in the front garden, breathing heavily.

"Need any medication? I have stuff for travel sickness inside." Tsu offered. That was in case of emergency if Makoto got any ideas rather than either herself or Noel being travel sick.

"Look, let's just get inside. We can tell all once breakfast is served." Kajun took her usual 'Call The Servents' attitude while she shuffled up the driveway into the house.

"Where's Noel?" Mai asked as she took a seat at the table and promptly doubled over.

"She's just finishing off cleaning the rooms a little bit. Don't worry, she is under express orders to stay out of the kitchen." Mai inwardly sighed; she _liked_ Noel's cooking.

"Fundamemtal Rule Of The Universe #1 is still in effect. Ah, a full fried breakfast. Been a while since I had me one of those." Makoto smacked her lips as she sat down.

"Please, it's Full English in this household." Tsubaki. Stickler for proper terminology as ever.

"Why is it called an English Breakfast anyway? Why do they still get dibs on it?" Mai asked.

"Started out there in the 19th century I believe, exported as part of the whole Empire thing. Every bit of the old Commonwealth had their own regional variant." Typical Tsu to know bits of Trivia like that.

"I would guess it's Double Bacon for a Canadian Breakfast, eh Tsubaki?" Makoto teased.

"And a helping of curry for the Indian version. Yes, I can play to outdated national prejudices too, you know." Tsubaki flipped the V at Makoto's remark, but smirked regardless, "I guess it's just one of those things that survived the move to the Hierarchical Cities." It was a sign of how much Tsu had mellowed out that she was quite able of acts of profanity, instead of getting on her high horse like the Tsu of yesteryear.

"Hey everyone!" Noel entered the room to a barrage of hugs.

Once everyone was seated, she pulled the plates out of the oven. It was on a low heat just to keep everything warm.

"Okay, tuck in everyone!" Everyone got extra Bacon; Tsu, in spite of the front she put up, was happy for once to live up to that stereotype, as was everyone else. In addition, there was sausage (not fish sausage, much to Noel's chagrin), fried eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans and hash browns. This repast was accompanied by a much sought after bottle of HP Sauce; Brown Sauce was in very short supply these days and getting their hands on some hadn't come cheap. Add in all the rounds of _buttery_ (A/N: all you Power Rangers SPD fans can stop flexing your fingers now) toast and copious amounts of tea, and you quickly had five very full friends.

"Thanks Tsu, that really hit the spot." Makoto stretched her arms behind her head.

"As opposed to you, who seemingly just hits patches of black ice." Mai muttered under her breath.

Kajun planted her chin in her hands, "Makoto, I know India historically has very lax standards for passing your driving test. But seriously, where exactly did you pass your test?"

Makoto sat silent.

"Please tell me you _have_ passed your test, haven't you?" Mai pleaded.

"Errr...yeah?"

"MAKOTO!" They all screamed in unison.

"Hey! I got you two here in one piece, didn't I?" Makoto waved her arms in protest.

"No! We each left half our body weight somewhere out there!" Mai bellowed. "How would you like it if you were Joe Average, quietly walking along, minding your own business when you get showered in someone else's vomit, capped off with being hit on the head by a half digested airline Croque Monsieur!?"

"Look, I can fly aircraft. Driving a car is a piece of cake in comparison." Sadly, Makoto had them there.

"Oh, never mind that!" Noel interrupted, "Myself and Tsubaki have something to tell you. Hehe, and show you too." She held her left hand out to the group, showing off the ring on her finger, "We got engaged during the vacation!"

"OHMIGOOOOOOOOOD!" Makoto had gone completely hyper, "My two best friends are getting married!" She dived into the two of them, nearly barrelling them both over. While more muted both Mai and Kajun were both ecstatic. Once Makoto stopped screaming in joy, she managed to ask, "Hey, have you decided on a date?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Tsubaki said incredulously.

"Have you chosen a venue?"

"Well, I was thinking the church that my family used to attend back when I was little. I've known the priest for years so I could probably convince him to bend the rules a little. Or at least give an unofficial blessing to the union." You never could tell which way a priest would take it.

"Who's the best man?" This was turning into Makoto's-a-million-and-one-questions.

"Well, I'd like it to be Jin; I know he and Noel despise each other, but it might help rebuild some bridges between me and him. Noel would like Ragna, and he and I don't get along with each other." On balance, Ragna was winning; Tsubaki had learned to at least tolerate his presence and could sit in the same room without starting an argument these, which is more than could be said for Jin and Noel, who as stated above now existed in a state akin to open warfare.

"Awww, I wanted to do it." Makoto's ears flattened.

"The clue's in the title Makoto, best _man_." Tsubaki pointed out. "You'll be Maid of Honour. Mai and Kajun are bridesmaids too if they're willing."

"Yeah, well, who's the groom then? Nyeh!" She pulled her eyelid and stuck her tongue out at Tsu.

"I think Carl's too old to be Page Boy...hey, _he_ can be best man! You two both still get on with him, right?" Mai asked.

"Well yes, but unfortunately we've lost his contact details. We haven't seen or heard from him for over a year."

"Aww, that's such a shame. Sir Hakumen?"

Tsubaki sighed, "I did ask him, but while he has said he will be attending, he has asked not to be part of the proceedings..." Tsu's face went gloomy, "...he has his reasons." Hakumen had come clean about his identity a year back. It just hurt too much to see the girl who he remembered loving him tying the knot with someone else, especially when the one she was getting hitched too looked so much like his sister. So while he was kind of honoured that Tsu still thought highly enough of him to make him such an important part of the day, he just couldn't do it. He knew it was selfish to think such things, but he couldn't trust himself not let his jealousy get the better of him. He was a serial loser in love, and the universe _loved_ reminding him of that fact. "Let's just agree to allocate the official positions another time, eh? I'm going to have a task on my hands asking my father to walk me down the aisle. He's ever so traditional."

"Well, regardless, let's go out and celebrate! It's Saturday, if we leave now the Admiral Bar'll be open by the time we get to town, won't it?" That was Noel and Tsu's nearest drinking establishment around here; part bar, part eatery, part bookmakers. Mai gestured to the door. The three had their coats on and were out the door before you could say "Mine's The Donkey Jacket". Noel and Tsu just sat there confused for a second before they shrugged and followed them out.

* * *

The nearest village was about half a hour's walk away. That wasn't exactly a hardship though, as thankfully the snow had died down to a gentle billow and the scenery was truly something to behold; now they were no longer in impending danger of falling down the side of one, Mai and Kajun could take the time to examine the sweeping vistas of valleys, rivers, forests and distant mountains with their snow capped peaks. The locals had seen Noel out and about for many years, and Tsubaki had now earned the honour of people, usually little old ladies, greeting her in the street. They saw the pair as a bit unconventional, mostly due to their romantic life and relative youth, but otherwise a couple of 'good eggs'. At the bar, they were quite popular, as two pretty young women often would be. Tsu often got up for karaoke,and Noel wasn't exactly bad either. While any of the regulars could drink them under the table, they still brought in a fair bit of business and helped keep the accounts in the black, buying the occasional round and doing other odd favours for the patrons in the hope of return favours later on.

The sound technician acknowledged their presence and gestured Tsubaki to come over, probably guessing she'd be getting up for karaoke later. The rest of the gang took an unoccupied circular table near the stage and the main TV screen. It could fit near 10 between the black couch set up that surrounded nearly half of it and the normal chairs that covered the rest of the circumference. Kajun pottered off to get some coffees while the girls arranged themselves on the couch.

"So, what're you doing these days Makoto?" Tsu asked as she returned to her seat, "Last I knew you were still looking for work."

"Yeah. I got an interview with Shinatsu local law enforcement. The NOL don't do anything anymore, so they've had to start again from scratch. It seemed to go alright. So who knows, next time you see me, it may be in a tiny police miniskirt." She smirked.

"Fat chance. You'd have people just lining up to get arrested. Or people thinking you're the kissogram slash strippogram." Kajun pointed out.

"You always put a downer on everything Kajun." Mai moaned.

"Well, every group needs a shirk in the audience. Besides, I really doubt dangerous driving and driving without a license would look very good on any CV. A clean criminal record is sort of important to get into law enforcement. They prefer it if you wait till you're in the job, and _then_ start commiting the crimes." Any criminal activity they may or may not have been guilty of in the chaos of Kagutsuchi had conveniently gotten lost in the Black Hole that was administration.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Kajun smiled and steepled her finger, resting her chin in them, "Nope."

"So all that shoplifting can't be doing you any good, huh." Noel pitched in

"Hey, all I did was go out without putting my stuff through the till, and that was only because racist shopkeepers wouldn't serve me. I always left the money to pay for it. They should be so lucky!" That upset Makoto a bit.

"What? Even all the bottles of booze you smuggled into school when you were most definitely underage?" Mai clarified.

"You enjoyed it, didn't you? You drank enough of it." Makoto moaned.

"It was that or let you get caught and in all likelihood expelled. I know which sounds better to me." Mai replied.

The room was starting to fill up a bit with more patrons, getting in early for good seats for today's sporting matches no doubt. A small group of young-ish guys who Noel and Tsu knew in passing gave the group a small wave, which Noel returned. Tsu's attention was taken with the sound engineer gesturing for her to take the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a karaoke request, so please put your hands together for Tsubaki." He handed her the mike.

"I'd like to dedicate this one to my girl Noel, sat over there." She gestured to her group of friends, "Love you, cupcake."

The rest of the gang all went gooey eyed at the sickeningly sweet spectacle. Noel was just embarrassed at someone making such a big deal of her.

 **BGM: Shania Twain - You're Still The One**

Tsu's choice began with a light drumbeat and some notes from an electronic organ.

"When I first saw you, I saw love  
And the first time you touched me, I felt love  
And after all this time,  
You're still the one I love. Mmmmmmm."

Tsu unconsciously started gently swaying as the piano kicked in. She made a mental note to learn how to play this. It didn't sound too difficult.

"Looks like we made it.  
Look how far we've come my baby.  
We mighta took the long way.  
We knew we'd get there someday."

Tsu gestured to Noel to join her on stage. After being shoved out of her seat by Kajun, she reluctantly complied.

"They said, "I bet they'll never make it"  
But just look at us holding on.  
We're still together still going strong.'

"You're still the one!" Noel took it upon herself to handle the backing vocals.

"You're still the one I run to.  
The one that I belong to.  
You're still the one I want for life."

"You're still the one that I love.  
The only one I dream of.  
You're still the one I kiss good night."

Tsu held the mic to Noel; she wanted Noel to take over lead for the second verse

"Ain't nothing better.  
We beat the odds together.  
I'm glad we didn't listen.  
Look at what we would be missin'."

Tsu's smile broadened; the Noel of yesteryear would never have been brave enough to get up in front of a crowd and strut her stuff. It just showed how far she'd come in the last couple of years, and how proud Tsu was of her.

"They said, "I bet they'll never make it"  
But just look at us holding on.  
We're still together still going strong."

"You're still the one!" Tsu took backing vocals this time.

"You're still the one I run to.  
The one that I belong to.  
You're still the one I want for life."

"You're still the one that I love.  
The only one I dream of.  
You're still the one I kiss good night."

During the instrumental, Makoto hijacked the microphone to address the patrons, "Ladies and Gents, may I have the pleasure in announcing that my two best friends here...ARE GETTING MARRIED! Woohooo!" A muted round of applause was the reponse. "Awww, come on! A bit of gusto, people!" The applause got a grudging increase in volume.

The two of them sang the final chorus in tandem. Tsubaki singing melody, Noel harmony. Makoto, Mai and Kajun sat swinging their arms in unison like a bunch of backing singers, cheering them on.

"You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night."

Tsubaki concluded the song solo, "Looks like we made it.  
Look how far we've come my baby."

The two shared a hug on stage, nuzzling eachother's cheeks. It drew "daaaw"s in some quarters and others reaching for the sick bag. Noel briefly held up her hand to the masses, letting the sharper eyed ones see the ring on her finger. Tsubaki held up her own.

"And once again a round of applause for Tsubaki." The sound guy spoke into his mic, to muted applause. They took it as their cue to get off stage and get back to their drinks.

"For she's a jolly good fellow! For she's a jolly good fellow! For she's a jolly good fellow...aaaaaand so say all of us!" Makoto, Mai and Kajun had started an impromptu sing along.

"Hey ladies. To celebrate, next round's on the house!" Marco, the bartender shouted to them in German, flashed a thumbs up, which was met with enthusiastic cheers from Tsubaki and Kajun and a more hesitant one from Noel, with Makoto and Mai joining in once they'd finished translating.

"Danke schön, Marco!" Tsubaki called out to him. Makoto immediately took him up on the offer and ordered each of them something off the cocktails menu. Black Russian for Kajun, Singapore Sling for Mai, Mojito for Noel, Cuba Libre for Tsubaki and a Screwball for Makoto. Marco had gotten around and he knew his stuff.

While Noel was seen as a bit of an airhead, she could speak a fair bit of several languages; she was brought up speaking German, and had a passable command of French. Having hung around native speakers Tsubaki and Makoto for so long, she spoke English like a native albiet with an accent, and could speak some pidgin Russian, possibly as a kind of racial memory from having been created there. Tsubaki, in addition to English, spoke fluent French and thanks to Noel had learned German. Makoto spoke a few local dialects from home, but only did so with family and always spoke English in front of her friends. Mai didn't speak any foreign languages, in contrast to Kajun who was multi-lingual; no one used those languages anymore, but she did it just out of curiousity; English had become the Lingua Franca of the NOL, what with all of the 4 biggest cities all being in the old USA and Canada.

She'd just finished setting down the last of the drinks when Noel took Tsubaki's hands and chuckled, "Well, here to the rest of our lives."

"And to spending it together." Tsubaki leaned in for a quick kiss, before picking up her glass and gently clashing it with Noel's.

"Sheesh, dunno about you guys, but I'm getting hungry." Makoto stretched her arms, "Nibbles, anyone?"

"Hmm, sounds good." Kajun gave ascent. Mai nodded in agreement. Makoto went off to order a set of small burgers from the bar; that'd put them on until lunchtime.

* * *

 **BGM: Stardust Memory**

While none of them could claim to be avid sport watchers, they stayed for most of the day. Makoto put money down on a few soccer matches and came away in the black, so she was quite happy, dampened somewhat by her favourite Cricket team getting trounced. All of them ordered some pretty big steaks for tea, washing it all down with a couple of bottles of red wine. None of them were even that drunk by the time the got back to Tsu's and Noel's house.. It was still enough to give you a warm feeling, which helped keep out the worst of the cold, and it was already dark by the time they got through the front door.

Nobody was really in the mood for tidiness, so the coats and boots just got chucked in a random pile; they could clear up later.

"Film, anyone?" Tsu put the question to the floor.

"Yeah, how about something with Kaiju? Or huge fighting robots?" Makoto asked excitedly.

Normally, Tsu would have shot down such a suggestion in favour of a rom-com, horror or suspense movie. But right now, it actually sounded like a good idea.

"Let's see...Pacific Rim...Godzilla...Godzilla vs Megalon. No riffing please!...Gamera..."

"Gamera is really neat!" Makoto piped up

"Gamera is filled with meat!" Mai hollered

"We've been eating Gamera!" Noel shouted. All three burst out laughing. Kajun just shook her head.

"That's enough out of you three." Tsu continued to flick through her collection, "Errrrm...Transformers...no. Drawing a blank here guys, how about a superhero movie instead?"

"Guardians Of The Galaxy?" Kajun suggested. Seemed as good a choice as any

"I'm game. May as well make it the whole Trilogy" Makoto responded. The rest of them gave their assent. Now that the entertainment was chosen, it was just a matter of furnishing everyone with suitable refreshments, and making sure everyone had been the toilet before they started. There would be forfeits for non-compliance. Noel checked once more to make sure everyone was comfortable. Tsu and Noel curled up together in the armchair, while Makoto, Mai & Kajun took the sofa. One blanket and pillow, two bowls of snacks and a can of beer each and they were all set.

Makoto mewed as she stroked her cheek against the pillow, "Mmmm, comfy."

Noel sighed, "Well, you did get the best pillow Makoto."

"Oh really, Noel? How about the Body Pillow you have of Tsubaki?"

"Wait, what?" Did Tsubaki's ears deceive her?

"Get back here!" Noel screamed as Makoto dashed out of the room, and returned carrying a Dakimakura of Tsubaki in varying degrees of undress, while at the same time handing off Noel who was desperately flailing trying to take it off her.

Tsu's expression said it all; I'd love to hear you try and explain this. She took a breath to try to control her rising temper, "Okay then Noel. Where, and how, did you get this?"

"I...I...It was photoshopped."

"By whom?"

Without hesitation, Noel pointed, "She did it."

At Makoto. "Oh, thanks for nothing Noellers. Traitor." She muttered under her breath.

"I must say it's kind of funny how you knew where it was kept when I did not. May I ask when and why exactly you're snooping around in our closet?" Tsu was stumped as to how she'd missed it during all the day-to-day upkeep.

"Simple. Noel was showing me a dress she'd bought last time I was here, caught sight of it then, so I knew where she likely still kept it. Not really something from a spy thriller is it?"

"Okay, now the real question. Why the hell would you make a body pillow of me half naked!?"

"Coz Noel asked me to? Seriously Tsu, it's nothing none of us in this room haven't seen already, and I think I speak for everyone when I say it can make completely straight women feel momentarily gay."

"You're safe then Makoto, you already bat for both teams." Kajun pointed out. Makoto flipped the V at her before turning back.

"Look, I'm sorry Tsubaki. It's so I can cuddle it and think of you when I'm in bed."

"Is that all you do with it?" Kajun smirked. Noel and Tsubaki both glared at her. Kajun, probably realising that she was digging herself into a hole with all three of them, wisely decided to shut up NOW before Mai clocked her one.

Tsu facepalmed, "So it exists primarily as a visual aid for all your incredibly warped fantasies!?"

"Hey, you enjoy said incredibly warped fantasies often enough!" Noel snapped back.

"True, but they are fantasies, and therefore should stay firmly locked away inside the privacy of your own head! Or strictly between you and me! Not as some kind of 3D poster carelessly put where the gossip column could find it!" She pointed at Makoto.

"Hey, no fair! Have any of us every spilled a secret to anyone outside our group!? No!" Makoto retorted "Jeez Tsu, why do you get so damn defensive when it comes to your body? Noel's probably seen everything by now. You could be a model with your looks."

"A model? Hmmph, probably lingerie or swimsuit no doubt."

Makoto shook her head, "Besides the point. You have this uber-conservative attitude to showing any skin. Hell, I reckon even wearing a bikini makes you feels uncomfortable." She gesticulated to thin air.

"Maybe it's because I refuse to be reduced to nothing more than a sex object? That somewhere, someone is leering over me getting their jollies?"

Makoto had dug herself in hole this time, "Okay Tsu, look at it this way. You said it yourself, it's like a poster to her. Everyone has posters or suchlike of a favourite film star of sportsman who they think are unbelievably sexy. I know I do. Noel could have chosen anyone to be on that thing. She chose you. Why? Because she thinks you're the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world. Because she only has eyes for you. Because she loves you just that much. It's not like knowledge of that thing's existence is ever going to spread beyond the five of us, I swear. I mean, who'd believe us anyway?"

Tsu's shoulders sagged, "Look, I just find it really embarrassing, okay?"

If Noel had animal ears, they'd have flopped at this point. Shamefaced, she came clean, "It's just so I can snuggle up to you, even when you're not with me. Because I miss you that much."

Makoto sagged, hoping that she'd managed to avert the catastrophe she nearly created. Mai and Kajun both turned to her.

 _We both know you improvised all that, but regardless, good save Makoto._

"Pfft. Perverts, the lot of you." She sulked.

"To the amazement of absolutely no one." Makoto answered back.

"Oh? And what about your cuddly Hakumen?" Noel snarked.

"I really don't think that's quite in the same league, Noel." Mai raised her hand.

Noel cocked an eyebrow, "Being caught humping said cuddly toy says you're wrong." Tsu's eyes widened. All of them stared at her for a moment...then burst out laughing.

"Proof if any were needed that he's really gone down in the world." Makoto was holding her sides. "He now serves as a way of selling cheap merchandise."

"I am the warm fur! I am kawaii!" Mai started milking the giant cow.

"It's official, we can never take Sir Hakumen seriously ever again." Kajun quipped.

Tsu grumbled, "Okay, you can keep it. But on one condition."

"Yes?"

"Makoto, you have to make me one of Noel." Noel opened her mouth to protest, but knew she it was an argument she had no hope of winning.

The two looked at each other. Makoto shrugged, "...Deal." The girls took their seats again. The tension had been dispelled, but it was still a fact that one stupid remark by Makoto had almost ruined everything. There were definitely going to be words said after all this.

Having finally got the opportunity to press play, the opening credits were about to roll when Noel's phone started ringing. She flicked the pause button to take the call, "Hello?"

A quiet voice answered, "Err...Hello Noel. This is Lambda. I'm calling from Kokonoe's lab. I..."

"I know where you're calling from, silly!" She punched in a few commands to activate speakerphone and redirected the visual feed to the TV so everyone could see. As agents of Sector 7 Mai, Kajun and Makoto all knew Lambda quite a bit before Noel and Tsubaki ever got to meet her, but once she had been formally introduced, and her status as Noel's good-as-makes-no-difference twin sister had time to sink in, she was welcomed into the group with open arms. They were in recovery from Kagatsuchi at the same time, but Lambda was confined to a tank after nearly getting shredded by Relius, and Kokonoe's tendency for Need-To-Know meant they never learned of each other's existence until well after. Secretly, Tsubaki wanted to use Lambda as a kind of test, to see how Noel fared at nurturing a developing personality, something that could be a very useful indicator for her dreams as a teacher and possibly a mother. So far she seemed to be doing well, "So why are you calling? Seems a bit unlike Kokonoe to just let you use the phone."

"She doesn't know. I just...I just wanted to talk to you, to hear your voice. I don't quite understand the full concept yet, but making logical conclusions from all acquired data, it would not be incorrect to say...I miss you."

"Yeah, I miss you too Lambchop. I'm just sad you couldn't join us today." Kokonoe could be such a meanie sometimes.

"Oi! Lambda! Get your ass back to the computer. That data ain't gonna compile itself you know! And you lot can quit wasting her time! She's got too little as it is!" Yep, Kokonoe's timing was impeccable as always.

"Professor, you're so mean. What's wrong with letting Lambda come join us form the evening. We're celebrating!"

"Coz she's got work to do, so kindly hang up and let her get on with it." Kokonoe shouted down the line, "You lot can count yourselves lucky you don't work for me anymore. Besides, we're miles away from you. It'd take hours for her to get to you lot from where we are."

"Hey, Professor, why can't you just teleport Lambda here?" Kajun questioned.

"Yeah, and I really doubt Tsubaki and Noel will appreciate me smashing an expensive table or the TV if I get this wrong. My budget is stretched enough as it is without having to fork out for property damage and insurance claims!"

"Oh, don't say that Professor! We trust your aim will be true!" Tsubaki tried for the sycophantic approach.

"No!"

"Oh come on Professor!" Mai whined.

"I just said! No!"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze?" The group pleaded.

Kokonoe facepalmed, "(I'm going to regret this) Fine...Lambda, I'm giving you the night off. Now go out and enjoy yourself. That's an order."

"Acknowledged." That must be Lambda's favourite word. Or at least the one she used most often. The girls meanwhile were doing a little victory dance on the other end of the line.

"Just get into something comfortable, okay Lambchop?" Noel smiled. Lambda scampered off like an excitable puppy. It was quite possibly the fastest she'd moved in her entire life.

Kokonoe scowled at them without saying a word the entire time it took for her to get back. Which was mere seconds.

"Here she is now, okay Lambda I-just what the hell do you think you look like!?"

"What? What's wrong Professor?"

"You'll see in a second. Oh jeez...3, 2, 1 aaaaaaaannnnnnnnd click."

The space-time static cleared and there stood Noel's Murakumo sister. She was wearing a Tartar onesie, her ever curious face sitting smack in the middle of its open gob, somehow adding to the "Kawaii" factor.

How utterly, quintessentially Lambda.

"Oh crumbs, I can see what she meant now! Where did you get it?" Noel was struggling not to burst out laughing.

Lambda tilted her head quizzically, "I was shopping. I saw it. I wanted it. Bullet-san bought it for me. It made me feel...happy." She was even more adorable than Noel, if that were possible. It was also a pleasing sign of her developing desires and emotions.

"Where the hell sells Tartar onesies!?" Makoto asked, incredulous, "Talk about niche market."

"Yeah yeah, just make sure none of you give her any alcohol, okay?" Kokonoe groaned. The last time any of them gave Lambda alcohol, she spent most of the night curled in a ball, weeping about how someone had kidnapped her pet Tartar. To her embarrassment, she found it safe and sound the following morning, "Soft drinks only. I don't want to have to spend _another_ morning making Tager sweep up the remains of Lambda's dinner. I want her ready to come back by oh-nine-hundred tomorrow morning. If she ain't she'e coming back unready. Ciao."

"Yes Ma'am. Soda for Lambda please." Noel hollered, Kajun responding. Makoto shuffled across a little to let Lambda have a space, which the latter cautiously took. She still wasn't very au fait with the niceties of snuggling up with your friends and watching a movie. "So, what _did_ you have for tea Lambda?" Makoto enquired.

Lambda blinked, "I made a Chicken Stir Fry. For myself and a couple of others."

Major's smirk widened, "And once you made it, did it set off any kind of warning alarm?"

"All items were scanned for contagions before and after cooking. No disease containing organisms or toxic compounds were detected."

"And are those 'couple of others' still conscious? Or breathing?"

"Affirmative. They said they quite enjoyed it. I scanned their bodies and detected no biological abnormalities or evidence of lying. I believe their responses were genuine." Makoto was stumped by that. She was preparing to add Lambda to Fundamental Rule Of The Universe #1. It had pride of place on a decorative plate above the hob. They even each had fridge magnets made containing the motto they all lived by.

 _Noel Vermillion is not allowed to cook anything. Ever_

Kajun chuckled, "Wow. You avoided the curse that seems to have afflicted Noel. There's hope for us yet."

"How bad is it?" Lambda was curious; she had heard rumours but lacked evidence.

"One of her meals sneezed." Tsu deadpanned.

"...acknowledged." One could almost see the sweatdrop.

Tsubaki sighed, "Look, if everyone keeps going on about Noel's cooking, we're going to put each other off the snacks. So why don't we all quiet down, sit back, relax, and watch the movie." she soothed. She took a fistful of potato chips and jammed them in her mouth to emphasise the point, chomping noisily.

And like that, the tension dissipated. Lambda was so endearing that any bad vibes just evaporated in her presence. Lambda, oblivious to all this, just squirmed as she got glomped by Makoto.

"Can I press play yet?" Noel asked.

"Not can you. May you." Tsubaki corrected.

"Fine, Miss Pedantic! May I press play yet?"

"You may. So one more time, cheers everyone." They all raised a bottle of beer in toast, sans Lambda who made do with a plastic cup of soda. With that out of the way, Noel _finally_ got to press play and start the damn movie, and everyone could get back to enjoying their evening, hopefully without it degenerating into a further quagmire of smut.

* * *

 _Fin_


End file.
